Taken
by Clintasha4evr
Summary: It has been three years since the Battle of Manhattan. Since then, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been dismembered and the Avengers have gone their separate ways. But when some of Natasha's "old friends" kidnap her daughter as leverage for a favor, she must seek out her fellow teammates and face telling them something she had never intended for them to know- especially Clint.
1. A Favor

**Well, I'm back writing fanfictions again! I've been really busy with a family thing the past few months, but everything has gone smoothly with that particular issue and I can finally focus on my writing again! This is my second fanfiction on this site, and I really just got the idea for it and decided to go with it. Usually when I get an idea for something like this, I play it out as a movie in my head, and if I like the movie, then I write it down. That's how I got my idea for my first fic on this site, "A Couple of Master Assassins" (I will be updating that one as soon as I can for those of you who have read it). This fic takes place in the same universe as my first fic, but it's sort of like and alternate universe, you know? Like, the history from "A Couple of Master Assassins" still exists, but this is a different way to go with the story (Hope I'm not over explaining this…) Anyways, I hope you enjoy this! Leave comments please!**

**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing (except the plot).**

**Chapter 1: A Favor**

**Natasha**

Natasha walked through the busy streets of Manhattan. There was still damaged buildings and rubble in the streets from the Avengers' battle three years ago. She still had nightmares of that day.

It was Saturday, and Natasha had the day off from the law firm she worked at. Due to her previously obtained skills in getting the information she wanted, she was one of the best lawyers in New York, and that was something she loved about her job. However, she did enjoy her occasional days off and always tried to make the most of them.

Today, Natasha needed to run to the store and grab a few things, which was why she was out. It was a relatively short trip to the CVS from her two bedroom apartment, but she wasn't exactly passing through the nicest part of town.

She was a few blocks away from the store when she passed a dark, intimidating alley. Natasha paused for a moment. She knew the alley ended right in from of CVS, and it would take less than half the time, but there were always sketchy people that hung out down there. She knew she'd be able to take any of the lowlife's that came on to her, and she really did need to get home to Mara, who she had left with her neighbor.

Mara was Natasha's two year old daughter. She had found out she was pregnant with her five months after the Battle of Manhattan, and one month after S.H.I.E.L.D. had been dismembered. When she first found out about the baby, Natasha was terrified. She wasn't fit to be a mother. She was a goddamn assassin for heaven's sake! Natasha knew she could never raise a child, but after sitting in an abortion clinic for five minutes she found a reason to keep it. That didn't mean it was easy for her. Natasha had lost all contact with Mara's father, so she had to go through everything alone. But she had done it and it had all been worth it. Now it had been two years, and Natasha was happy with the way her life had turned out.

Just thinking about her baby made up Natasha's mind to take the shortcut through the alley to cut her trip short. She couldn't wait to see her, even though she'd only been gone twenty minutes. Turning sharply to her left, Natasha began walking at a swift pace towards the alley. It wasn't like she couldn't handle herself if there was a threat, but she had stopped taking unnecessary risks ever since Mara was born. If anything ever happened to Natasha she would have no one.

As she walked further down the alley, a strange feeling began to creep its way into Natasha's stomach. Something wasn't right. She quickened her pace as she neared the other side. The opening of the alley was _so_ close. She was almost there when, out of nowhere, a man in an expensive suit and sunglasses stepped in front of her.

"Miss Romanova." He addressed her by her last name. Her _real_ last name. Before she could even think of a way to take him out, someone had grabbed her from behind and pressed a cloth to her face, causing the world around her to go dark.

Natasha groggily opened her eyes. She was sitting upright in a creaky wooden chair in the middle of a dark room; a single light hanging down above her head. It took her a few moments to realize she was tied to said chair. She was immediately alert, despite having just woken from her drug induced sleep. Her assassin reflexes began to kick in and Natasha began assessing her situation. The tie on her right wrist was loose, and she might be able to slide her hand through it. Once her hand was free, she'd be able to untie her other hand and her ankles, then make a beeline for the door…

"Natalia Romanova, it's been too long." A voice interrupted her thoughts and Natasha noticed a man standing in the shadows. She froze. She recognized that voice. Her heart rate spiked causing blood to pound in her ears as the tall figure emerged from the darkness.

"Varkov." Natasha whispered when he came in to view; her eyes narrowing into slits. The man laughed.

"So you do remember me." Varkov began circling her chair with his hands behind his back. Natasha never took her eyes off him.

"How could I forget," she spoke in a steady tone, "you only forced me to do all your dirty work."

"If I recall correctly, _you_ volunteered." The Russian stopped right in front of her. "You used to love the jobs I had to offer you, and you definitely loved the pay. That is until you defected from Russia to work for the Americans." He sneered. Natasha's face remained emotionless.

"Is this about revenge?" She asked, recalling a mission she had taken with Clint to exploit his organization. Varkov laughed.

"Do you really think I'd be so petty? Trust me, your little stunt with that archer of yours has been long forgotten." He began to circle her again.

"Then what do you want?"

"Oh, just a favor." Right. This guy obviously hated her guts, and now he was asking her for a favor? Something wasn't right.

"First of all," Natasha began, "why do you need me for this 'favor'? I'm not the only assassin out there, and I'm not exactly taking jobs anymore. Second of all, I don't think I'll be doing _you _any favors any time soon." She had been confident in what she said, and Varkov had realized that she had made up her mind. A twisted smile crept on to the man's face, making the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

"Oh, you may change your mind once you hear my offer." When Natasha didn't respond, Varkov continued with his proposal. "You know very well the things my company does. But believe me when I tell you that the knowledge you possess about my organization is only scratching the surface." This caused her to shudder. Natasha _did_ know about the things that went down at Varkov's facilities. She and Clint had seen it firsthand. To think that there was more than that was almost too much for her to think about. "Well," Varkov continued, "very recently, a few of my lead scientists decided they didn't want to work for me anymore. They didn't like hurting people, so they left."

"What the hell does this have to do with me?" Natasha was getting irritated. She needed to get out of here. She needed to get home to Mara.

"I'm glad you're so eager to hear about your assignment." Varkov stopped in front of her again and smiled. She glared at him, getting more and more pissed as the seconds ticked by. "These men, they know far too much. They run the risk of leaking the information they posses about my company to the rest of the world. The thing is, the world isn't ready to understand what I am trying to achieve. All I want you to do is track them all down and eliminate them. If you succeed, I will give you double what I used to pay you." He looked at her expectantly as he finished his sentence. Much to his surprise, Natasha began to laugh. She couldn't help herself. This man expected her to just overlook all the horrible things he'd done and do as he asked for 500 grand? This was a joke.

"You can't be serious?" She said once she'd calmed down. "I hate to tell you this, _again_, but I don't do that kind of work anymore. Find someone else." Now it was Varkov's turn to be pissed.

"You are the best at what you do—"

"-_Did_." Natasha corrected him. He rolled his eyes.

"and I'm sure you'll reconsider once you hear the rest of my terms."

_Great, this should be good._ Natasha thought as she nodded for him to continue. "I'm listening."

"How much do you love your daughter?" She stiffened, and Varkov acknowledged that by giving her a sick smile. "That's what I thought." He nodded to the door and Natasha's head whipped around to see another man walk in holding a baby in his arms. Except it wasn't just a baby. It was her baby. It was Mara.

"NO!" She shrieked. "No, please! This has nothing to do with her, leave her out of this, PLEASE!" Natasha begged as she held back a sob. This couldn't be happening. She looked at Mara, scanning the baby girl for any obvious injuries, but from what Natasha could see she was completely unharmed. "I swear to God if you hurt her…" She was cut off by Varkov's laughter.

"I do not wish to hurt her, and I won't. As long as you hold up your end of the deal." He walked over to Mara and stroked the baby's cheek. Natasha inhaled sharply, wishing she could break his hand. "My my, she looks so much like you, Natalia." He whispered before turning back around to look at her. "But even more so like her father."

"Don't touch her." Natasha growled, disregarding Varkov's last comment. Mara's father wasn't important right now. He was trying to wear her down, to scare her. She couldn't let that happen.

"Relax, my dear, I won't lay a finger on her." He said, waving the man holding Mara away. Natasha fought against her restraints, trying to get to her. Varkov placed a forceful hand on her shoulder and held her back. He leaned into her until he was mere inches from her face. "You have seven days to dispose of all twenty men. If you fail, then you may want to think about adoption." Natasha spat in his face and he jumped back in shock.

"Go to hell." She snapped. Varkov recovered quickly, wiping his face on his sleeve.

"I'm good on my word," he snarled, "and for the sake of your daughter, I hope you go through with this 'mission'." He pulled a bottle full of a clear liquid and a white cloth from his pocket and began squeezing the liquid on to the cloth. After he had put the bottle back in his pocket, he approached Natasha again. She stared him directly in the eye, the full force of her hatred burning through him. "Good luck, Natalia. I'll see you in seven days." And with that, he shoved the cloth he had been holding over Natasha's face, forcing her to, once more, sink in to an unavoidable sleep.

Natasha woke with a start. She was lying on the floor of her apartment's living room. Sudden memories of Varkov and Mara came flooding back to her. She picked herself up off the ground and turned around to find her neighbor, Amy, passed out in an armchair. Natasha could tell that she had been drugged as well. She gently nudged the girl, whose eyes blinked open at the sudden movement.

"Oh, Natasha. You're back." Amy yawned and stood up. "Sorry, I guess I fell asleep. I put Mara down about two hours ago. She's probably still sleeping." Natasha sighed a breath of relief. Whatever had gone down here when Mara was taken, Amy obviously didn't remember. That was one less thing she had to worry about now. "I guess I should get back upstairs." The younger girl walked over to the door.

"Thanks again, Amy." Natasha smiled as convincingly as she could and gave a small wave. Once Amy had left, she could no longer stand. Natasha's legs gave out and she collapsed onto the floor as her body was overcome with sobs.

After about five minutes of crying, she finally pulled herself together. Natasha had to do something. It had been years since she'd done anything even remotely related to her previous job at S.H.I.E.L.D. How could she successfully track down and kill twenty men, who were probably scattered all over the world by now, in only seven days? Natasha began to pace back and forth, trying to figure out what she should do when she noticed an envelope on her coffee table with her name written on it. She picked it up and tore it open to find a list of the names of twenty men. Natasha stared at the list for a few minutes before ripping the paper to shreds in a fit of rage. She wasn't going to give Varkov the satisfaction of doing his dirty work again. She wasn't going to let him win.

Somehow, Natasha would get Mara back. She had seven days to figure out what to do, and she wasn't going to even remotely consider Varkov's 'favor' as a way to save her daughter. Natasha would find her and save her herself. But how? Since S.H.I.E.L.D. had shut down, she no longer had the resources for this kind of work, and even if she did, she would need a team of experienced agents to help her with the actual retrieval. Where and how was she going to find both?

Natasha was still pacing when a sudden thought caused her to stop in her tracks. She looked out her window and could see the unique outline of the Stark Tower looming over the city. Without a second thought, she grabbed her bag and sweater and rushed out the door. The clock was ticking, and Natasha had been wasting precious time.

**Well, what did you guys think? Reviews, comments, suggestions? I'll take anything! Thanks for reading! I plan to do a back and forth kind of thing where I update this fic, then my other fic, and just switch off. I should be done with the fourth chapter of my first one soon, so I might be able to have the next chapter of this story up by next week. I do have a paper for school to write, so it may take a little longer than that. Bad time to start a new story, I know. I'll do my best though! Stay tuned...**

**Preview for next chapter: Natasha's daughter is being held captive, and she'll do anything to save her... even if that means aquiring the help a certain genius billionaire playboy philanthropist... (Tony, Bruce, and Pepper will be introduced! Steve, Thor, and Clint coming soon after. More on who Varkov is and what he does will come a little bit later, so if you're confused about this guy, be patient. All will be revealed...)**


	2. A Little Help

** Heeeeey! I'm back already! I know I said it would take longer for this chapter to be posted, but it turns out I lied! Our school did this really weird free write day where all we did is write stuff in all of our classes. I'm not sure why we did it, but I took advantage of this opportunity to write the second chapter! I've already got a few reviews for the last chapter, and it looks as though people are interested, so YAAAAY! I really wanted to jump right in and get Natasha involved with the other characters ASAP, so this chapter will be introducing Pepper, Tony, and Bruce. Steve and Thor will most definitely come next chapter, possibly Clint as well. His introduction is gonna be a big thing since him and Natasha parted on not-so-great terms, so I'm still debating whether or not just to give him his own chapter, unless you guys want to tell me what you think I should do and I can just go off of that… I'm probably boring those of you who are actually reading this, so please enjoy Chapter 2!**

**Chapter 2: A Little Help**

**Natasha**

Natasha walked calmly through the doors of Stark Tower. She went right up to the receptionist's desk and waited for the woman, whose name plate read Kelly, to look up.

"Can I help you?" She asked in a perky voice.

"I need to speak with Mr. Stark, please. Is he here?" Kelly frowned and looked at her books.

"I don't have any consultations scheduled for Mr. Stark until 5:00 p.m."

"This isn't a consultation, I just really need to speak with him." Natasha began to tap her foot impatiently. The woman behind the desk gave her an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry m'am, but I'm afraid you need to have scheduled an appointment two weeks in advance in order to see him. The next available time I have is in about four weeks. Would you like me to put you down for then?" Natasha gave an agitated sigh.

"No, I really need to see him _now_." Her voice was forceful. Kelly didn't understand that four weeks would be too late, because in only one week, Mara would be dead. The poor receptionist leaned back in her chair, surprised at Natasha's sudden intensity. "Can't you just call up and tell him I'm here?"

"I'm sorry m'am, but I can't help you." Kelly went back to whatever she had been working on before Natasha interrupted her, but she persisted.

"What about his wife, Pepper Stark? Is she here? Can't I see her?" Now the receptionist was starting to get angry.

"M'am, I'm going to have to ask you to leave now." Natasha didn't move, she just glared at Kelly, who, in return, glared back at her. She had been so caught up in her little exchange with the stubborn receptionist that she hadn't noticed the man who had come in behind her.

"Good afternoon, Kelly." said a familiar voice as the man walked by holding up an ID. Kelly turned her attention away from Natasha to greet the man.

"Good afternoon, Dr. Banner. It's nice to see you." That caught Natasha's attention. She spun around to see the scientist walking towards an elevator.

"Bruce?" she called out. Bruce turned around and Natasha saw his eyes grow wide in shock.

"Natasha?" She couldn't believe her luck. Out of pure joy she rushed over to the man and threw her arms around him, catching him in an awkward hug. He stumbled backwards, surprised by her show of emotion, but gently wrapped one of his arms around her to return the gesture. She wanted to cry. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I need to see Tony, but they won't let me in," she said, nodding to the receptionist. "Can you help me out?" Bruce could see the pleading in her eyes. He looked over at Kelly, who was obviously confused, and nodded.

"It's okay," he said, "she's an old friend." Kelly nodded and continued working. Once they were in the elevator, Natasha began to speak again.

"Thank you." She said quietly. Bruce smiled and nodded. They were both quiet for a moment until Bruce spoke up.

"Is everything alright, Natasha?" She looked up to find him staring at her. The look on her face must have been enough, because his eyes became full of sympathy before he dropped his gaze. They continued their ride in silence.

"Do you know if Stark is busy? I really need to talk to him." Bruce shrugged.

"I know he had a meeting that he probably blew off, so he's probably sitting around doing nothing upstairs. That is, unless Pepper is here." He chuckled before lapsing back in to silence. Natasha tried to keep the conversation alive.

"I'm going to assume that you're still working here." She said. Bruce nodded.

"Yeah, I've been making a lot of breakthroughs in my research working with Tony. It's been great. How about you? Did things ever work out between you and…" Natasha had begun shaking her head before he'd even finished his sentence. Bruce had been one of the few people that knew about her relationship with Mara's father. That wasn't something she wanted to talk about right now. "Have you had any contact with Clint lately?" Natasha responded by shaking her head again. Bruce stopped asking questions after that. That was one of the great things about him. He knew when enough was enough.

Once they'd reached the top floor, the doors of the elevator slid open and Bruce stepped out followed by Natasha.

"Tony?" He called the billionaire's name. A few moments later, Pepper appeared from behind one of the few doors in the penthouse apartment with an angry Tony Stark calling after her. As she walked towards Bruce, Natasha noticed the swollen bump protruding from Pepper's stomach. Right. She had forgotten about Pepper's pregnancy. Natasha had heard about it on the news. It made her wish that she had stayed in touch with Pepper. Before Natasha had found out she herself was pregnant and everything went to fell apart, she and Pepper had gotten really close. She had been her go-to friend for girl time, which had been something she'd desperately needed. It was nice to see her again, but it was just too bad it had to be under these circumstances.

"Sorry, Bruce. Tony is working. _For once._" She mumbled under her breath. "Is there something I can help you with?" Bruce shook his head.

"No, not me. Her." He said gesturing to Natasha. Pepper's eyes followed Bruce's pointed finger until she finally saw her. She gasped and clamped her hands over her mouth to prevent herself from squealing.

"Natasha!" The pregnant woman walked as fast as she could with her swollen belly to where Natasha was standing until they were locked in a friendly embrace. "I haven't seen you in ages! How have you been? What are you doing here?" Pepper began to babble endless questions. Natasha couldn't help but smile. She really had missed her friend. "So what can I do for you?" Pepper asked once she'd calmed down.

"I actually need to speak with Tony." Natasha sighed, remembering her purpose for being there in the first place. Pepper gave her a confused look, but before she could question her they heard the sound of a door slam.

"Pepper, can you please remind why I hired a bunch of idiots to work for me?" Tony said as he entered the room. Pepper, Natasha, and Bruce all looked up in surprise, but none of them were as surprised as Tony when he saw Natasha. "Jesus!" He yelped, pressing his back against the nearest wall trying to stay as far away from her as possible. "I knew it! I knew she'd come back to kill me!" Natasha and Pepper rolled their eyes while Bruce stifled a laugh. "What is she doing here?" Tony asked. Everyone looked at Natasha expectantly, wanting to know what had brought on this surprise visit. Natasha sighed and looked at Tony.

"I need your help." She said in an exhausted tone. Tony looked shocked.

"_You_ need _my_ help?" he said, bewildered. "With what?" The room went quiet and Natasha lowered her head. She could feel warm tears forming in her eyes. Pepper stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Natasha? Is something wrong?" She looked up at Pepper's concerned face and nodded.

"Yes." Natasha said, fighting to contain her emotions. There was another long pause before she spoke again. "I'm in a bit of a situation," she said quietly, "and I'm going to need a little help to get out of it without any innocent people getting hurt."

"Well, let's hear it then." Tony said as he and Bruce walked over to sit on one of the two couches while Pepper sat Natasha down on the other.

"We're willing to help you, no matter what it is." The strawberry blonde smiled sympathetically. She gave her a weak smile in return.

"You may want to hear what it is before you say that."

"Okay, let me get this straight: This Russian guy, Varkov, wants you to take out twenty men that know his deepest darkest secrets, who are most likely scattered all over the world by now, in seven days for only 500 grand?" Tony asked, completely amazed.

"Yeah, pretty much." Natasha said, flopping back in her seat. "Do you know how long it takes to track down and kill just one man? Weeks, sometimes months! There's no possible way I can do it."

"So, you want us to help you do it?" Tony was getting more and more confused by the second.

"No, I don't even want to do it myself. It's a nightmare, and it's so not worth 500 grand." Natasha rubbed her temples. This was exhausting.

Bruce, who had remained quiet throughout most of the conversation, suddenly spoke up. "If you don't want to do it, then why don't you just ignore his offer? It's not like you can't handle yourself if he came after you, and even if you couldn't take him alone, you'd still have us for backup, so why are you still debating whether or not you should do what he says when you obviously don't want to? Just don't do it." Tony, Pepper, and Bruce all looked at Natasha. She had left out the part about Varkov's leverage: Mara. Natasha had never wanted her fellow teammates to know about her daughter, not even Clint, the one person she had ever been close to.

"He's making a good point Natasha." Said Tony. "Why are you straining yourself over this decision when it's not even worth it? Just forget about it."

"It's not that simple." She snapped.

"Then please do explain, because I'm obviously having a hard time understanding your reasoning here." Tony said irritably. Natasha paused. Pepper touched her shoulder encouragingly.

"He has leverage to make sure I go through with it. He took something from me that I have to get back."

"What was it?" Bruce pressed on. Natasha sighed. They were going to find out eventually and they wouldn't be able to effectively help her if they didn't know all the details.

"Natasha?" Pepper said when she didn't respond. "What did he take?" Natasha took a deep breath, hoping her voice wouldn't crack when she spoke.

"My daughter." She said quietly as she lowered her head. "He took my daughter." Silence. After a few awkward moments, Natasha looked up again to find a mixture of emotions strewn across all three of their faces. Tony looked like he had gone into complete shock, Bruce looked extremely surprised, and Pepper looked as though she was about to start crying right along with her. She hoped one of them would say something, but they just sat there with the same look on their faces. Natasha felt a sudden wave of anger overcome her, and she just snapped. "Yes, I have a daughter, okay!? I never wanted any of you to find out about her because I didn't want her to be involved in any of this—_ever!_ She's the only thing I have in this world that I still care about and if anything ever happened to her, I'd never be able to live with myself. And now, she's been kidnapped by a man who, if I don't do as he asks, will kill her without a second thought!" With that, Natasha burst in to tears and buried her face in her hands. She felt Pepper wrap her arms around her in an attempt to comfort her. Once her crying had been reduced to hiccupping and sniffles, Tony spoke again.

"What do you need us to do?" He asked. "We'll do whatever it takes."

"I'm in this too." Bruce piped in. "Whatever you need." Natasha gave them both a small smile.

"What I want to do is find out where Varkov is keeping her. We'll scope the place out, make a plan, then go in and get her." She spoke as if she was planning a mission for S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Give me a bit of info, and me and Bruce can find this guy." Tony said, punching Bruce's shoulder.

"I've got this guy's file memorized, so that shouldn't be a problem." Tony nodded and began walking towards his office with Bruce in tow. He stopped and turned before opening the door.

"Anything else you need us to do?"

"Yea," she said. "Could you track down Steve and Clint for me? We're going to need them."

"Want me to call Jane and see if Thor is visiting?" He asked. This caught Natasha by surprise.

"You still keep in touch with Thor?" She asked, genuinely surprised. Tony shrugged.

"Ever since he got the Tesserect back, he's been able to travel freely between worlds. He visits every couple of weeks."

"Well, if he's here, get him. I want all the help we can get." Tony and Bruce went into the office, leaving Natasha and Pepper alone in the living area.

"It doesn't look like there'll be much we can do until the boys find something, so what do you want to do in the meantime?" Pepper asked.

"How about we play a question game? You know, so we can catch up. I'll ask you a question, then you ask me a question. Simple as that. And it'll keep my mind busy until we get any news from Tony and Bruce."

"Okay," Pepper agreed, "why don't you go first." Natasha eyes immediately flashed to Pepper's bulging stomach.

"I want you to tell me all about this baby of yours!"

**Tried to keep this chapter a little lighter. I don't want this to be a scary fic, just dramatic. Sorry if it seems too happy for the current situation, but I'm just trying to show how Natasha is coping. So, what did you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Suggestions? Please comment/review! I heart feedback! PS: tell me if you think Clint's introduction should be its own chapter (chapter 4). I'm trying to plan ahead so I know how much to write each day so I can update both my fics ASAP!**

**Chapter 3 Preview: Tony and Bruce find out where Steve and Clint live and also get ahold of Thor, who agrees to come help. Whole bunch of changes in POV's. Expect to see things from Natasha's, Steve's, Tony's, and Bruce's POV's. Pepper, Clint, and Thor's POV's will come later!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Catching Up

** Wow, I am just on a roll with this story! I had a lot of free time in school today, and I usually use that time to daydream, so that's exactly what I did! I got some great ideas for this story and how I want it to play out and I just couldn't wait to get to work! I'm trying to get as much done as I can, because I sadly have a research paper that is due next week, and I haven't gotten very far on it, so I'm going to have to take a break from my fanfictions until I get it done. I'm sure anyone who has ever gone to high school will understand my pain… Well, here's chapter three! Thanks for all the great reviews and suggestions! All feedback is appreciated, so don't be shy!**

** Picking up where we left off with the Q and A game between Pepper and Natasha.**

**Chapter 3: Catching Up**

**Natasha**

"Okay, here's my question: Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?" Natasha asked. Pepper shook her head.

"Not yet. I should know by the end of this week though. The doctors said everything is developing well and that we should be able to tell by my next appointment on Thursday." She said, rubbing her stomach. Natasha remembered when she used to do that while she was pregnant with Mara. She closed her eyes, preventing any threatening tears from forming. "I guess it's my turn now." Pepper said, causing Natasha to open her eyes to look at her. She opened her mouth like she was about to say something, but she closed her mouth before she got anything out. Natasha looked at her in confusion.

"What?" She asked.

"Nothing, nothing. I'm just trying to think of a good question." Pepper said, lowering her head so she wouldn't have to look Natasha in the eye. Natasha knew what she wanted to ask her about, but she was too polite to do it.

"You want to know about my daughter." It wasn't a question. Pepper looked at her, apology written all over her face.

"I'm sorry, Natasha. I know you probably don't want to talk about her right now." But she sort of did want to talk about her. Maybe she'd fare better if she just pretended nothing was wrong.

"Actually," she said "ask me anything you want about her. I don't mind." Natasha waited patiently for Pepper to finally get up the courage to actually say something.

"What's her name?" She asked quietly.

"Mara." Natasha replied. Pepper smiled.

"That's a lovely." she said with sincerity. "How old is she?"

"She just turned two about a month ago." These were easy questions, thank goodness.

"Who's her father?" Natasha froze. Now _that_ was not an easy question. She never liked talking about Mara's father because it brought back a lot of memories. Some were good, some were bad (the bad ones were particularly easy to remember). Natasha had done a lot to make sure that her relationship with the man had stayed under wraps, however there had been a short list consisting of three people who had accidentally found out: Fury, Coulson, and Bruce. Now that Fury was out of the picture and Coulson was dead, Bruce was the only one that knew anything, and that was enough for Natasha. The less everyone knew, the better, but she knew all that would change soon… "Natasha?" Pepper said when she didn't answer.

"He's not important right now." She said quickly. Pepper looked at her with wide eyes.

"The father or your child isn't important? I find that hard to believe." Natasha sighed.

"He used to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. That's how we met."

"Wait!" Pepper gasped. "Are you talking about Clint?" This caught her off guard.

"What? No! I haven't talked to him in years." Natasha exclaimed, desperately wanting to change the subject. She didn't want to talk about Clint right now. Pepper gave her a mischievous smile.

"I could have sworn there was something between you two. You were always so close."

"He was my partner," Natasha said simply. "It was thanks to him I even joined S.H.I.E.L.D. We trained together, went on missions together… I trusted him, and that formed a pretty strong bond between us. We were friends."

"I don't believe you." Pepper teased. She rolled her eyes.

"You went way over your one question turn. I get to ask you something now." They continued on like this for almost an hour, and Clint didn't come up again. For that, Natasha was thankful.

**Tony**

Tony entered another command in to his computer. It had been almost thirty minutes since he and Bruce had started sweeping the globe for Steve and Clint, and they hadn't found anything. Not even a country. He was starting to think these two didn't want to be found, which would only make his job more difficult.

"How's it going over there, Bruce?" The scientist looked up from his monitor and shook his head.

"Nothing yet." They were quiet for a few minutes as they continued their search.

"So, what do you think about all this?" Tony asked gesturing towards the door. Bruce shrugged.

"I don't know. I'm honestly not sure what to think."

"I mean, Natasha, out of all the people in the entire world, has a baby!" Tony exclaimed. Bruce nervously glanced at the door.

"Keep your voice down, will you? She's just in the other room." He warned. Tony clamped his mouth shut.

"Right." He whispered, hoping Natasha hadn't heard anything he'd say. The last thing he needed was to have an emotional assassin out to get him. There were a few more minutes of silence until Tony suddenly smiled. "Who do you think knocked her up?" Bruce raised an eyebrow at him, warning him, again, to keep his mouth shut. "Oh, c'mon man. We're both thinking it, I'm just saying it." Tony laughed. Bruce shook his head and didn't answer, but just kept staring at his monitor with an unnatural look on his face. Tony gaped at him. "Are you serious?"

"What?" Bruce looked at him innocently.

"Oh, quit bullshitting me! I've seen that look before. You know something!" How could Bruce not have said anything? "You _have _to tell me now!"

"Leave it alone, Tony. It's none of our business." Bruce said steadily.

"Dude, tell me what you know! Was it Clint? It was, wasn't it." Tony pressed on, causing Bruce to sigh angrily.

"Look, all I know is that she was in a relationship with someone and, from what I can guess, it didn't end well. I don't know if this guy is the father. For all we know she could have met someone else. Either way, it's none of our business, so quit asking."

**Bruce**

Tony rolled his eyes and turned back to his monitor, mumbling something about Bruce being "too damn polite." He sighed. Tony was the last person that needed to know about Natasha's personal life.

What Bruce had found out was purely an accident, and Natasha had made him swear not to tell anyone. So he kept his word, and that was that. He did have his suspicions about who he believed the baby's father was, but there was no way to know for sure. They would all know the truth soon enough. Of this Bruce was certain.

Suddenly, Tony's computer began to beep excessively.

"Got Steve. He lives in Brooklyn. How obvious. Hey, Bruce, has Jane called back yet?" Bruce checked his phone. They had called Jane in hopes that Thor happened to be visiting. Since he had gotten the Tesserect back the thunder god had been able to easily travel between worlds and came to Earth frequently.

"No, not yet." Just then, Bruce's computer began to beep the same way Tony's had. He looked at the screen to see Clint's information pop up. "I got Clint." He told Tony, who nodded in acknowledgement.

"Good, where does he live?"

"Manhattan." Bruce said, surprised there old friend hadn't moved to a less populated area.

"Well, that makes our jobs a million times easier! Steve and Clint live less than an hour away, and Thor can fly, if he'd here, that is." Tony exclaimed. "Let's let Natasha know." They walked out in to the living area to find Natasha and Pepper unmoved on the couch talking. When Natasha saw them she stood up anxiously.

**Natasha**

"Did you find them?" she asked.

"Yea." Bruce told her. "We still aren't sure about Thor yet. We're waiting for Jane to call us back." Natasha nodded.

"I was thinking that Bruce could go to see Steve," Tony said, joining the conversation. "And then I could go to get Clint…"

"No." Natasha cut him off. He stared at her, confused. "You and Bruce go to get Steve and wait on Jane's call. I'll get Clint." Without waiting for Tony's reaction, she grabbed her bag and began walking towards the elevator. "Do you have an address?" She asked, clicking the button.

"Okay, Natasha, slow down." Pepper said, speaking for the first time. She walked over to Natasha and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know you want to get to work as soon as possible, but I think you need to get some sleep first." Natasha looked out the window and watched as the sun began to set. "It's going to be dark soon, and Steve and Clint will both probably be asleep by the time you get to them. So, how about I take you downstairs and set you up for the night, and first thing in the morning we'll all go out and see everyone." After a few moments of silence, Natasha nodded. She did need to conserve her energy. When the elevator dinged, Pepper entered the elevator, pulling Natasha with her. Before the doors closed, she called out to Tony.

"Stark," she said. He turned just in time. "Thank you." The doors closed and Pepper pressed the button for the floor below them, making the ride relatively short. Once the doors opened, they both walked out in to another living area, almost like and apartment. Pepper led her down one of the hallways and into a large room with a king-size bed, fireplace, balcony, and a massive TV. Natasha smiled. "Cool." She said to herself quietly.

"You can stay here as long as you like." Pepper told her. "I'll have some clothes bought for you tonight."

"Thanks, Pepper. This means a lot to me." Pepper smiled and left the room, leaving Natasha by herself. She undressed herself until she was wearing only her camisole and jeans, then crawled under the covers of her massive bed. She was so tired, but who could blame her. It had been an eventful day…

Natasha closed her eyes. Pepper was right, she needed her rest. Especially if she was going to talk to Clint tomorrow. Clint. She hadn't seen him since a few months after S.H.I.E.L.D. shut down, and with the way things had ended, getting him to help could be challenging. To be honest, she didn't want his help. She didn't want him to find out about Mara. All Natasha could think about was how angry he'd be. But none of that mattered, because no matter how much she hated the idea of Clint getting involved in this, she needed his skills and determination. She needed her partner back. She needed _him_.

**Okay, so I know I said at the end of the last chapter that I'd bring in Steve and Thor this chapter, but it turns out I lied. Sorry! I guarantee that they will be brought in next chapter! This chapter sort of had to be a development chapter to set up some upcoming events, such as the intro of Steve, Thor, and Clint. Oh, and due to popular demand, Clint will be having his own chapter! Won't that one be fun! So next chapter will be Thor and Steve, the one after will be Clint, and then we'll get in to the good stuff, like team bonding, the reveal of Mara's father, etc. The next chapter may come a little later due to some homework I didn't do, so please check back in the next few days! Until the next installment, BYE! And thanks again for the great reviews and comments!**


	4. Recruits: Part 1

** Woohoo! Finally got to finish chapter four! I worked on it as much as I could in my free time at school, but as I had mentioned earlier, I did have a research paper I needed to do, so free time at home was definitely limited. But, now I have finished that god-awful paper and I can finally write fun things again! As promised, Thor and Steve finally make an appearance! As the chapter title implies, Bruce, Tony, and Natasha are recruiting their teammates to help rescue Mara. You'll get a little info on what Clint has been up to in preparation for Recruits: Part 2, as well as what has been going on in Steve's life. So, to celebrate the completion of my research paper and the recent release of the Iron Man 3 trailer (which looks AMAZING!), here is chapter four! Hope you enjoy it!**

**Chapter 4: Recruits: Part 1**

**Natasha**

Natasha awoke bright and early the next morning. She hadn't slept well, but she was grateful for the few winks she had gotten. With a yawn, she shoved herself off the bed and walked over to the dresser, wondering if Pepper had brought her some clothes while she was sleeping. Natasha opened the top drawer and smiled when she saw two stacks of shirts and pants. Once she had changed, she left her room and walked out in to the living area and was about to click the button for the elevator when the doors opened and Pepper, Tony, and Bruce stepped out.

"Oh, Natasha, you're up!" Pepper said surprised. Tony and Bruce both mumbled a tired "good morning."

"Good morning." Natasha nodded. They all went into the kitchen and sat down at the large mahogany table. Tony pulled out two files she hadn't seen him holding earlier and slid one of them over to her while he and Bruce opened the other one.

"I'll go make some coffee." Pepper said as she pushed away from the table.

"Thank you, Pepper." Natasha said gratefully. She could really use a pick-me-up.

"Would you boys like any?" Pepper turned to look at Tony and Bruce.

"Sure Pep, that'd be great." Tony said, slightly more awake at the mention of caffeine. Bruce shook his head.

"None for me." Pepper nodded and went into the kitchen to prepare everyone's beverages. In the meantime, Natasha looked down at the file Tony had given her. The tab had Clint's name on it. Inside was a list of all his personal information, a lot of which she already knew. She flipped through the pages until she found his home address and occupation. He lived in Manhattan, same as her. He was on the opposite side of the island and all, but it was still quite a coincidence. She scanned through the rest of the list until she came to his job. Natasha had to do a double take.

He worked for the NYPD. Clint was a cop? To a lot of people that would seem normal, but to Natasha, who had known him better than anyone, it was downright strange. He wasn't a team player, and he definitely wasn't a people person. That was why he was always hiding in the shadows and avoiding human contact. A lot must have changed in the past three years…

The sudden buzzing of Bruce's phone caused Natasha to look up.

"It's Jane." He said after checking the caller ID.

"Finally!" Tony exclaimed. Bruce shushed him as he answered the phone.

"Hey, Jane?" He said as he got up out of his seat and left the room. Once she could no longer hear him, Natasha continued looking through Clint's file. The next thing she checked was his work hours. He worked weekdays from 8:30-6:00. Today was Friday and it was almost 9:00. She'd have to go to his station. This could get awkward.

"Do you want me to come with you today, Natasha? I don't have anything planned for today." Pepper said as she walked back to the table holding everyone's coffee on a tray.

"No." Natasha answered quickly. "It's okay, I can handle it. And, if Thor comes someone should probably be here waiting for him." Pepper nodded. Bruce walked back in the room putting his phone away.

"Jane just told me that Thor _is_ visiting. She's going to let him know about our situation as soon as he wakes up."

"Great, that makes one down," Tony said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Two to go." Natasha finished. After the files had all been read and the coffee was gone, it was almost 10:00. "We should get a move on. We still need to locate Varkov when we get back." She said as she stood up to get her bag and jacket. Tony and Bruce nodded and shoved away from the table.

"If we aren't back when Thor gets here, call us." Tony told Pepper as he kissed her on the cheek. He then bent down to kiss her bulging stomach and whispered something to it that Natasha couldn't make out. She wished she'd had someone there to do that when she had been pregnant with Mara… Just then, the elevator dinged and Bruce and Natasha stepped in. "Let's get this show on the road." Tony clapped his hands and joined them. Pepper waved goodbye as the doors closed and the elevator started moving.

**Thor**

Thor awoke slowly. The sun hadn't quite risen yet. He reached next to him but was disappointed to find that Jane was not there. He rose from his bed and walked in to the kitchen to find Jane sitting at the table with a cup of coffee and a worried look upon her face. She looked up when he entered the room.

"What troubles you, my lady?" Thor asked. She smiled at him.

"Good Morning." Jane rose and allowed the god to envelope her in a suffocating hug.

"Is there something wrong?" The petite woman looked up in to the god's eyes, concern evident on her face. "What has happened?"

"I got a call from Bruce. He says they need your help." Thor's face was stern.

"My friends do not call upon me for help unless it is important. I shall go to them." He went back into the bedroom to retrieve his hammer. "Will I meet them at the home of the Iron Man?" Thor asked when he reentered the room. Jane nodded, looking solemn. He was saddened that he had to leave his lady, but his friends needed him. "I will return as soon as I can." He went outside into the early morning light and prepared to leave.

"Thor," Jane called after him, "be careful." He nodded and kissed her hand before swinging his hammer and taking off at the speed of light towards New York City.

**Tony**

"So, you said he works in the military?" Bruce asked as Tony weaved his convertible through the busy New York streets. He nodded.

"Yea. The Army to be exact. Pretty well decorated, too. Once a soldier always a soldier I guess." He handed Steve's file to Bruce. They were getting close to his apartment. Tony was getting excited at the thought of seeing their old friend again. Before everything had fallen apart, he and Steve, as well as all the other Avengers, had gotten really close.

Tony pulled the car to a stop in front of a small apartment building with Steve's street address on the door. They climbed out of the convertible and walked up the brick stairs. For a minute, they just stood there, both waiting for the other to knock. After a few moments passed, Tony finally reached out and tapped the door a few times. They could hear movement coming from inside. Tony's stomach did an excited flip. The door opened and a familiar, slender woman stood before them.

"Sharon!" Tony exclaimed, immediately recognizing the ex-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent

"Tony? Bruce? What are you two doing here?" Sharon asked, a surprised smile lighting up her face. She stepped outside and gave them both a friendly hug.

"It's nice to see you, Sharon. It's been awhile." Bruce said politely. She beamed at them.

"It's nice to see you too, Bruce." Sharon turned back towards the door, gesturing for Tony and Bruce to enter. "I'm going to assume that you two want to see Steve. C'mon in and I'll get him." She said, leading them inside.

**Steve**

"Steve!" Sharon called from downstairs. "Come here! There're some guys here to see you!"

"Okay!" Steve called back. He put on his workout shirt and grabbed his gym bag. He was going to the gym, the same place he always went on his days off. Steve walked out of the bedroom and could hear multiple voices emanating from living room once he reached the top of the stairs. He paused, trying to pick out one of the hushed voices, but he couldn't recognize any of them. Curiosity got the best of him and Steve proceeded down the stairs. "Sharon?" He called.

"In here." His wife yelled from the living room. All the voices stopped as they heard him approach.

"Well well, if it isn't the Star-Spangled Man with a Plan!" A familiar, slightly obnoxious, voice said as he came in to view.

"Tony?" Steve said, surprised to see the billionaire sitting on his couch. He noticed another figure in one of the armchairs. "Bruce?"

"Hello, Steve." Bruce said quietly. Tony stood up and shook Steve's hand.

"It's good to see you Cap." He said sincerely. Steve looked at Sharon questioningly.

"They said they needed to talk to you." She told him. He nodded and turned back to Tony and Bruce.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Why does something have to be wrong for us to want to talk to you, buddy?" Steve raised an eyebrow. No way was he buying that. Tony coughed. "Okay, you caught us. We need your help." Steve sighed.

"With what?" Tony smiled and sat back down.

"You remember Natasha, don't you? You know, red hair, crazy intimidating, incapable of showing emotion, scary…" Steve rolled his eyes.

"Get to the point Tony." Bruce said quietly from the corner. Tony glanced at him.

"Well, she needs our help with something. Her daughter has been kidnapped by some crazy Russian guy who…" Steve cut him off.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Natasha has a daughter?" He said in complete shock. Tony laughed.

"I know, right? It's crazy! Anyways, she's been kidnapped by one of Natasha's old bosses, and this guy means business. To make a long story short, we need to find her and get her back in the next six days or he's going to kill her." Steve just stood there, processing everything Tony had told him. It was all so unbelievable. "So, Natasha has enlisted our help and we were hoping you might-"

"I'm in." Steve cut him off. Tony and Bruce stood up.

"Great, I'll call Natasha and let her know." Tony said, pulling out his phone. Before he could begin dialing the number, the device began to ring. "It's Pepper. Hang on… Hey Pep, what's going on?" Tony left the room. Sharon walked up behind Steve and grabbed his hand. He squeezed her hand in return and turned to Bruce.

"How long has it been since she was taken?" Steve asked.

"It happened yesterday morning. Natasha left her with her neighbor while she ran to the store. That's when they got her." Steve nodded. At least it hadn't been too long. Tony reentered the room.

"That was Pepper. Thor just got here." Thor? This must be serious if Natasha needed the God of Thunder for help. Tony saw Steve's concerned look. "It's just a precaution." He told him. "She doesn't want to take any chances."

"I can understand that." Steve said knowingly.

"Yea. Well, we should probably get back to the tower. Don't want Pepper to have to deal with Thor alone for too long." Tony walked over to Sharon and gave her a quick hug. "Thank you, Sharon, for letting us hijack your husband. We promise to return him in one piece."

"I'll hold you to that." She smiled as she turned to Bruce and shook his hand. "Good luck." Finally she looked to Steve. He pulled her into his arms and held her there for a moment.

"I'll call you tonight. Let you know what's going on." He felt her nod. Sharon pulled away and looked him in the eyes.

"Be careful." She said softly. Steve nodded and she leaned in to kiss him.

"C'mon Cap!" Tony shouted. "We really should get back! I've got a wife too ya know!" Steve rolled his eyes and pulled away from Sharon.

"I'll talk to you tonight." He turned and began walking toward the others.

"Steve!" Sharon called after him. He turned to look at her just as he reached the door. "Get her back. For Natasha." Steve smiled and nodded before closing the door and joining Tony and Bruce outside.

**Bit of a shorter chapter. Sorry to all you Thor fans that his intro wasn't too long, but I really wanted to get to Steve. There will be more of him in the upcoming chapters. How about Steve though? He's all married and enlisted in the military! I looked in to his and Sharon Carter's relationship and thought it would be good to add in here. They're so cute! The next chapter, which a lot of people have been (im)patiently waiting for, will be called Recruits: Part 2 and will introduce Clint to the story (as promised!). I decided to make him a cop because I recently saw Jeremy Renner in The Unusuals (which was a great show!) and I could just picture him being a police officer. I want to make the next chapter suuuuper good for you guys, so sorry if it takes a little long to write. So, tell me what you thought! Comments, reviews, suggestions, FEEDBACK! Thanks to all my dedicated followers and reviewers! You guys are the best!**


	5. Recruits: Part 2

** Drum roll please… Clint's chapter is finally here! I tried to put a lot of work into this particular chapter since it's sort of a major plot milestone. Writing this was soooo hard! I wanted to get it right, and I probably started over at least three times before finally settling with this and rolling with it. Let me know if you like it, or if it didn't live up to your expectations. So, without further ado, I give you Recruits: Part 2. Things are about to get real…**

**WARNING: There will be a few occasions in this chapter where strong language is used. Sorry if anyone gets offended. (told you it'd be intense!)**

**Chapter 5: Recruits: Part 2**

**Natasha**

Natasha pulled the overpriced sports car Tony had insisted she use to a stop. On the opposite side of the road was a police station. Clint's police station. Her hands began to shake. She didn't want to be here. In fact, this was the last place on Earth she wanted to be. Natasha mentally shook herself.

"Stop being a coward." She mumbled. "You need him. Do it for Mara." A wave of determination overcame her. She needed to put her personal feelings aside and help her daughter. Natasha put the car in park and climbed out onto the sidewalk. She crossed the street, avoiding speeding taxis and expensive cars, and walked right up to the doors of the station. Natasha placed her hand on the door handle and paused, fully realizing what she was about to do. Her heart thudded and adrenaline shot through her veins.

"You have to do this." She whispered. Before she had a chance to second guess herself anymore, Natasha opened the door and shoved herself inside. A young blonde receptionist looked up from her desk when she heard her enter. Natasha saw her and hesitantly walked up to the desk.

"Is there something I can help you with, m'am?" the receptionist asked sweetly.

"Yes." Natasha said carefully. "I need to speak with Officer Clint Barton. Is he here?"

**Clint**

Clint took a sip of the bitter coffee he got from the break room and immediately spit it back out. "_Every time."_ He thought. He set the coffee down on his desk and picked up the file on one of the latest bank robberies. There had been quite a few lately. Clint flipped through the pages trying to find a pattern; something that could possibly link all the recent crimes together. As he skimmed through all the information, Sam walked up to his desk with a huge smirk on his face.

"What's with you?" Clint asked, wondering what was making his good friend so chipper. Sam grinned.

"Man, you have GOT to see the girl sitting in the waiting area." He said, pointing his thumb down the hall. "She has to be the hottest chick I have ever seen." Clint rolled his eyes.

"Well, why don't you go out there and talk to her?" He turned his attention back to the robbery files. Sam continued talking.

"Oh please. I wouldn't stand a chance with her! You on the other hand…" He trailed off. Clint looked up.

"Dude, I have a girlfriend, who happens to be working right down the hall." Sam nodded.

"Right. You and Clara are going pretty strong. What's it been, almost four months now?" Clint smiled.

"Yea, something like that." He and the little blonde receptionist had met almost two years ago when Clint had first started working for the NYPD. They had hit it off immediately, but it had taken a while for them to actually start dating.

"Well, speaking of Clara, she wants to see you up at the front." Sam said before turning to walk away. "Something about a visitor?" Clint paused before getting up, slightly confused. No one ever visited him at work. He didn't have any family and all his closest friends worked with him, so who could possibly want to see him? Clint walked down the hall towards the waiting area. Before he reached the door, a hand shot out from one of the holding rooms that was and pulled him inside. The door shut and Clara shoved him against the nearest wall, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him.

"Hi." Clint said breathlessly once she pulled away. Clara grinned.

"Hi." She leaned in to kiss him again, but Clint angled his head away from her.

"Sam said you had someone here to see me." He said. She rolled her eyes and pushed away from him.

"Way to ruin the mood." Clara said sarcastically.

"Hey, we work before we play." Clint walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Who's here?" Clara was suddenly serious.

"Some woman. She says she knows you, which is weird because I'm pretty sure she's a stripper." Clint raised his eyebrows at her sudden dark tone. "Have you been going to strip clubs?"

"What? Why the hell would I go to a strip club?" He said defensively. Clara narrowed her eyes.

"I don't know, you tell me."

"Okay, hold up. First of all, I haven't been going to strip clubs, and second of all, how do you even know she's a stripper?" Clara's face softened at Clint's reassuring tone.

"I don't know, I guess it's the way she looks. Really pretty and thin, but too muscular to be a model. Oh, and her name." She rolled her eyes. "If you're going to be a stripper, don't go by your show name." Clint laughed.

"That bad, huh?" Clara nodded, a small smirk on her face. "Alright, let's hear it." He smiled. This _had_ to be good.

"Natasha Romanoff." She laughed. Clint froze, all humor draining from his face. Clara didn't notice. "Seriously, how obvious can you be? I mean, what is that, French?"

"It's Russian." Clint broke in. She looked at him still smiling.

"How would you know?" He just stared at her until she finally caught on. "Oh my God, you know her?" Clara said surprised. Clint nodded. "How?"

"I used to work with her." He rubbed his hands over his face. No wonder Sam was practically drooling when he told Clint about the 'hot chick' in the waiting area. Natasha had always had that effect on men.

"How come you never told me about her?" She pressed on.

"Because she isn't important." He answered quickly. Clara went silent. "Did she say what she wanted?"

"Not really, just that she needed to talk to you and that it was important." She replied quietly. Clara could always tell when something was upsetting him. "Do you want me to send her away?"

"No," Clint said with an irritated sigh, "she won't leave. Just bring her in here." Clara nodded and left the room, closing the door behind her. Once she was gone, Clint pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fuck!" He said angrily. Natasha was the last person he wanted to see today. She was the last person he wanted to see ever! And after everything that had gone down three years ago? He was surprised _she _even wanted to see _him_. It was her fault, after all…

Just then, the door opened and Clara stepped aside to allow Natasha to enter the room. She shot Clint a worrisome glance before quickly exiting and closing the door behind her. After that, there was silence. The former partners stood there staring at each other, taking everything in. Natasha hadn't changed much, except for her hair which she had let grow out. She was still stiff and intimidating, as well as beautiful, just like she had always been. They continued to stare, both of their faces remained emotionless. After a few minutes like this, Natasha finally spoke.

"Hello, Clint."

**Natasha**

"What the hell do you want?" Clint said, glaring at her. Natasha glared right back.

"Nice to see you too." She said sarcastically.

"Is this a social visit, Natasha, because I've got work to do." Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Always quick to cut to the chase." She mumbled.

"What do you want?" Clint asked her a second time.

"I want to talk to you." She said simply. He scoffed.

"Oh, so now you want to talk? Sorry, but you're about three years late."

"Will you stop being an asshole and listen to me?" Natasha yelled angrily. Clint walked closer to her.

"Why should I? What do you want from me?" He continued to glare at her, hatred pouring from his eyes. Natasha had only ever seen him like this twice before, and she had always been the cause. Things hadn't changed much.

"I need your help." She finally said. He gave a sarcastic laugh.

"Don't you always?" Natasha closed the distance between them and got up in his face.

"This isn't a joke, Clint. It's a matter of life or death, so I suggest you stop with the smartass comments. I didn't come here because I wanted to talk things out. Hell, I didn't even want to bring you in on this, but, as it turns out, I need you. So, are you going to hear me out, or should I just leave?" Clint's glare faltered. He was obviously taken aback by the intensity of her tone. He took a few steps back so she wasn't so close then crossed his arms and nodded.

"I'm listening." Natasha walked over to one of the chairs that was against the adjacent wall and sat down. _"Here goes nothing." _She thought to herself before clearing her throat to begin.

"I was confronted yesterday morning by one of my old employers, back from when I worked for the Room." She began. "He's asked me to kill twenty men in the next six days in exchange for 500 grand. You know how hard it is to track down and kill that many people even with the proper resources, so there's obviously no way I could do it, even with help." Clint interrupted her.

"So, you're pretty much saying it's impossible?" She nodded. "Then why even try? What's going to happen if you don't go through with it?" Natasha paused. She wasn't sure what to say. "Oh, and one more thing. Which of your old 'employers' is trying to make you do a job of this magnitude for only 500 grand? He's got to be insane." She remained silent, not making eye contact. "Natasha, who is it?"

"Sergei Varkov." Clint froze. She could tell he remembered the Russian all too well.

"Oh God." He whispered. There was a long moment of silence before either of them spoke again. "He has leverage, I'm guessing." Clint said. She nodded. "What is it?" Natasha still said nothing. He sighed angrily. "Look, if you want me to try and help, you're going to have to talk to me. A minute ago you wouldn't shut up, so tell me what he has that's got you so upset!" This was it.

"He has my daughter." She said shakily. Tears began to form in her eyes but she held them in. There was no way she was going to start crying. Not in front of Clint. Natasha looked up when he didn't reply. She looked at his face to find an array of emotions. Confusion, curiosity, pity, irritation, slight anger.

"You have a daughter." He said, ending the long silence. All she could do was nod. "I never pictured you as the motherly type."

"Neither did I."

"So it wasn't planned?" Natasha shook her head. She was starting to get annoyed with all the personal questions. "Who's the father?" That did it.

"A, that's none of your business, and B, even if it was, it's not the point." She snapped.

"Then what is?" Clint's glare returned and so did Natasha's.

"The point is that my daughter has been kidnapped by a bloodthirsty sociopath who would be more than willing to kill her without a second thought! The point is that in order to save her life, I need you to help me! I remember what happened three years ago, and I'm sorry, but right now I'm willing to put all of that aside so I can save the only thing in this world I still care about. So are you in, or are you out?" He didn't say anything. He just stood there, avoiding her gaze. "Well?"

"Have you asked everyone else?" Clint finally said. "The Avengers?" She nodded. "And?"

"They're all helping." Natasha told him. He began walking towards the door.

"Then you don't need me." This caught her by surprise.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying I can't help you." He turned back around to face her, irritation all over his face. Natasha glared at him.

"You can't or you won't?" Clint sighed heavily. He was starting to get angry.

"I have a life now, Natasha!" He yelled.

"You think I didn't?" She shot back.

"I never said that. Listen, I'm sorry this happened to you, but I don't want to get dragged into this, okay? It took me a while to move past everything that happened all those years ago, but I did, and I'm happy now." Natasha narrowed her eyes.

"I was happy too. I had a baby, Clint. I had a life! And now it's all gone. It's all been taken from me." Her voice was shaky. "I need you to help me. Please." Clint shook his head.

"I'm sorry." He whispered.

"Please Clint, I'm begging you." She pleaded as tears began to pour from her eyes.

"You should go." He opened the door. Natasha stared at him, completely shocked at what he was saying. He was actually telling her to leave after everything she had just told him. What had happened to him? "Leave." Clint gestured to the opened door.

"Fuck you." Natasha said through clenched teeth. She stormed out the door, running right in to the little blonde receptionist.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just need to speak with Officer Barton. Am I interrupting?" She asked innocently.

"No, we're done." Natasha replied kindly. She turned back to face Clint. "If she dies, it's on you." And with that, she stormed off, leaving an angry Clint Barton and a confused receptionist in her wake. Natasha practically ran back to her car and waited until she was safely inside to allow herself to be overcome by her angry tears.

**Clint**

"What the hell just happened?" Clara asked confused. Clint didn't respond. He rubbed his hands over his face, completely stressed by his confrontation with Natasha. "Clint?" Clara touched his shoulder but he shook her off.

"Could you just leave me alone for a few minutes." He said angrily. She nodded and he closed the door to the holding room. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Clint yelled in irritation. How could she just show up out of the blue like that and drop all this information on him? What, did she think he would just forget everything that happened and run off to play super spies? It wasn't like he didn't want to help her, but he just couldn't. He couldn't put his life on hold for an entire week so he could risk his life for her. Clint sighed heavily and deflated in to one of the wooden chairs, trying not to think about what Natasha had told him. However, the more he tried not to think about it the more he did think about it, and the more he realized how big of an asshole he had been to her.

Natasha had taken a big step confronting him and begging for his help after what had happened between them, and he had just brushed her off. Fuck, she'd even started crying, which was something she never did when people were watching. She was always so strong, but today she had been so vulnerable. What the hell was wrong with him? He should be helping her. It was her goddamn daughter for Christ's sake!

Clint sighed. He knew what he had to do. He left the holding room and walked down the hall to the back of the station where the lockers were. There was no one there, so he went to his locker and opened it, retrieving a black case. He closed his locker and opened the case, running his hand over the black collapsible recurve bow inside. Just then, the door to the locker room opened and Clint quickly shut the case. Clara came in to view. She looked concerned.

"Hey." Clint smiled at her. She smiled in return, curiously eyeing his case.

"I just came to make sure you were okay. What's that?" Clara nodded to the case.

"It's nothing. Listen, I need you to tell the boss that I'm taking a week off." She shot him a confused look.

"What? Why?"

"Uh, my friend needs my help with something. It's a family thing." Clint kissed her on the cheek and began walking towards the door.

"Clint, wait. What's going on, is everything okay?" Clara chased after him.

"I hope so." He continued walking until he reached the front doors. Clint looked over his shoulder to see his girlfriend still following him. "I'll call you tonight, okay. I really need to go now." Without waiting for Clara's response, he walked out the door and flagged down a taxi.

"Where to?" The driver asked once he was inside.

"Stark Tower." Clint told him. The driver nodded and sped off towards the home of the billionaire.

**Natasha**

Natasha stepped out of the elevator onto the top floor of Stark Tower. In the living area she could see four of her fellow Avengers sitting around and talking, as well as Pepper. They all fell silent when they heard the ding of the elevator and saw Natasha get out.

"Hey, where's Robin Hood?" Tony asked when she came over to join them.

"Not coming." She said simply.

"What do you mean he's not coming?" Bruce asked surprised.

"I mean I asked him to help and he said no." Natasha didn't want to talk about Clint anymore. She looked up at Thor and Steve and smiled at them.

"Thor, Cap. Thanks for helping." They both smiled at her sympathetically.

"Any time, Natasha." Steve said kindly.

"I'm terribly sorry to hear of your unfortunate predicament." Thor boomed. "I shall do all I can to help rescue your child."

"Thank you." Natasha said, grateful she didn't have to do this alone. A sudden beeping caused everyone to turn to Tony, who was fishing his phone from his pocket. He put it on speaker.

"What is it, Kelly." He asked.

"Mr. Stark, there's an NYPD officer down here that wants to speak with you." Tony glanced at Natasha. She mouthed the word 'name' to him. "Officer who?" He asked. There was a pause.

"Officer Barton, sir." Kelly said from the other end of the line.

"Okay, thanks. I'll send someone down to get him." He hung up his phone and turned to Natasha, but she was already in the elevator. She clicked the button for the lobby. When the doors opened again, she walked into the waiting area to find Clint standing at the front desk, his bow case in hand. She stopped a few feet away from him and crossed her arms.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. He held up the case.

"I'm here to help." Natasha stared at him and he stared back. They stayed like that for a few moments until she finally spoke.

"Okay." She said with a nod before turning on her heel and leading Clint to the elevators. _"Avengers assemble." _She silently thought to herself as the elevator doors opened and the both stepped inside.

**Whoooooa! Long chapter! My fingers hurt. Was it intense? How many of you totally hated Clint at first? Well, their reunion obviously didn't go very smoothly, but at least he's on board now, right? Next chapter will pick up right where we left off. Clint and Natasha will have a more civilized conversation in the elevator regarding some details about Mara and her mystery father! But, before anyone gets too excited, I should tell you that I will NOT be revealing the father's identity quite yet. After a dramatic chapter like this, we could stand to have a little less excitement. Reviews, comments, favorites, and follows are all greatly appreciated! You guys are the best! Thanks for reading!**


	6. Know Your Enemy

**Oh my God, I am sooooo sorry for the delay! First off, crazy week at school! So. Much. Homework! On top of all that, I had a band concert, horseback riding, and some community service stuff. Plus, it was Halloween! Also, this chapter was hard to write! I decided to get in to Varkov, hence the chapter title "Know Your Enemy". Sounds dark, no? This chapter is pretty Clint-centric. It's cuz all the Avengers come together for the first time in this story. To those of you who asked, not too much on the father yet, although I'm trying to drop a few hints here and there, so just be a little patient with me. I'll get there, and when I do, I want to make it good, so you'll probably have to wait a few more chapters! Well, that's enough of my lousy excuses! Here's chapter 6! Thanks to all my dedicated readers who leave reviews every time! You guys rock!**

**Chapter 6: Know Your Enemy**

**Clint**

The ride up on the elevator, for the first few minutes, was silent. Clint glanced at Natasha, whose face was cold and expressionless. He could tell she was silently fuming. He cleared his throat.

"Listen," Natasha turned to look at him. "I'm sorry about what went down earlier. I was being a jerk."

"Yea, you were." Her tone was even and slightly angry. They rode in silence for a while. "I should have called. Let you know I was coming. It wasn't fair to you for me to just show up." Clint shook his head.

"What would you have said? 'Hey Clint, I know we had some bad times and we haven't spoken in almost three years, but do you mind if I stop by?' Yea, I definitely would have wanted to see you then." He said sarcastically. Natasha smirked. "You did what you had to do." She nodded. They were only half way up the tower. "So," Clint started but Natasha cut him off, already knowing what he was about to say.

"You want some answers." She said, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. He nodded. Natasha sighed and looked down at her hands.

"You don't have to…"

"No." She said firmly. "You're helping me get my daughter back. It's the least I could do." He nodded in agreement. "What do you want to know?"

"What's her name?" She smiled.

"Mara."

"How old is she?" He asked.

"She just turned two last month." Clint grinned.

"She's survived that long?" He said in false surprise. Natasha shot him a glare.

"Next." She said dangerously. He thought about his next question, carefully considering her reaction.

"I know you said it's none of my business, but could you at least give me a hint as to who the father is?" He tried to keep his tone light so she wouldn't get angry. Emotion drained from her face.

"He was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent." She said, obviously uncomfortable. Clint flipped through a mental list of agents he knew Natasha had known. He couldn't think of any she had liked enough to actually have a baby with.

"Did I know him?" Clint asked, hoping he wasn't pushing her too far.

"You probably met him once or twice." She was still guarded.

"Does he have a name?" He decided to try his luck.

"Yes." That was it. Clint knew she wouldn't say anymore, so he dropped the subject. She had reached her limit. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Natasha led Clint into the living area where their former teammates were talking quietly. They fell silent when they saw them enter.

"Cupid!" Tony exclaimed, standing up to shake his hand. "We thought you wouldn't make it!"

"Stark." Clint nodded to the billionaire, grasping his hand. He turned to address the others. "Hey guys. How's it going?"

"Great, now that you're here." said Bruce. "We can finally get started." Steve and Thor moved over to make room for him on the couch. Natasha sat down next to Bruce opposite to him. Tony, who had disappeared into his office, returned holding a stack of files. He handed one to each of them and they all began leafing through the pages. Clint read the name on the tab. **VARKOV, SERGEI.** He swallowed hard, already knowing what he'd find inside. Lists of his unlucky victims who had, in some way, wronged him. Descriptions of the tortures he and Natasha had both experienced first-hand.

Pulling himself from his nightmarish thoughts, Clint looked around at the other Avengers. All their faces had gone white. They probably hadn't known what they were getting themselves in to. He felt sorry for them. Clint looked at Natasha. Her file lay unopened in her lap. He tried to get a read on her, but her face was like stone. She felt Clint staring at her and glanced up, looking him right in the eyes. He continued to stare at her as they began one of their famous silent conversations; something they had learned to do almost eight years ago.

_"I'm sorry I'm dragging you into this. You shouldn't be helping, especially after what happened. I don't deserve your help."_ Clint cocked his head slightly.

_"Don't be like that. There's no way I'd let you go up against him alone. I don't care what happened. Not now. This is more important than some stupid three year old argument. This is your daughter!"_ Natasha barely lowered her head, giving a small nod.

_"Thank you."_ A small smile tugged at the corners of Clint's lips.

_"Any time. I mean it."_ Tony coughed and they both looked up.

"Are you kidding me?" They were confused.

"What?" Natasha asked innocently.

"You two haven't spoken in three years, yet you can still do that really annoying 'talking with your eyes' thing?" Clint shrugged.

"It's not something you just forget how to do." Tony rolled his eye.

"Well, it's annoying as ever." Bruce cleared his throat, trying to get their attention.

"So, Varkov. What's his deal?" he asked. Natasha's eyes were like ice.

"He used to work for the Red Room, back when I joined. No matter how disturbing a man he is, you can't deny he's a genius. Varkov developed the program that brainwashed me, turning me into a mindless assassin." She shifted uncomfortably. Clint knew how much she hated talking about her past.

"When he left the Room, he became a sort of Mafia boss, did his own thing. That didn't mean his mind got any less curious." Clint's voice dripped with hatred. "If someone pissed him off, he made sure they paid for it. He would kill anyone that got on his bad side, but not before torturing them by conducting some seriously twisted experiments." He looked down as he remembered the mission he and Natasha had gone on six years ago…

"Is this the victim list?" Steve asked, holding up a piece of paper from the file. Clint grabbed it and read through a few of the names.

"Yea." He handed the paper back and allowed Steve to read over it himself. His eyes suddenly went wide.

"You're names are on here." He quietly exclaimed, glancing back and forth between Clint and Natasha. "I thought you said this was the victim list?"

"Not all his victims died." Natasha said solemnly.

"What did this man do to you?" Thor asked. He had been pretty quiet throughout the entire conversation; probably confused as to what was going on.

"It doesn't matter." Clint said quietly. Everyone went silent. Tony was the first one to speak up after that.

"So, what exactly were you two doing when he caught you?" Natasha looked at him out of the corner of her eye, not wanting to make eye contact.

"It was a mission. We were trying to exploit his operations, kill him if we could." She said shakily. "Things didn't quite go according to plan." No one asked them anymore questions after that. Bruce and Tony stood up.

"Well we'll get started tracking down Varkov." Bruce smiled and nodded to the rest of the group before walking towards the elevator. Tony followed him, but turned around before getting on the elevator.

"I just have one more question." He said looking at Natasha. She raised her eyebrows. "When all this is over, can I be Mara's godfather?" Everyone looked at her as she pondered his request.

"Find this bastard and we'll talk." She finally said. Tony grinned then followed Bruce onto the elevator.

"Well, it's starting to get late." Said Pepper, who had been quietly sitting in one of the armchairs the whole time. "How about I make some dinner?" Everyone agreed enthusiastically. Pepper walked to the kitchen and Natasha followed to help. Steve and Thor lingered on the couch, discussing which of them would most likely win in arm wrestling. That left Clint. He wasn't sure what to do so he ended up walking out to the balcony and watching the sun set over the city. He was appreciating the peacefulness of the moment when his phone buzzed. Clint clicked the talk button and answered it.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hey babe. How's it going? Is everything okay?" Clara replied. Clint smiled.

"Yea, everything's going alright. How about you?" Silence. "Clara?"

"Um, I need to tell you something." She said nervously.

"What? Did something happen? Are you okay?" He questioned.

"Yea, yea, I'm fine. It's about your job, actually." Clint closed his eyes. He knew what was coming. "The boss wasn't exactly thrilled that you're taking a whole week off without any real reason, and you've also already used more vacation days then you're allowed…"

"Am I fired?" He asked. She sighed.

"Not yet. He said that if you come in tomorrow, _on time_, then he'll reconsider. If you don't, then you'll get fired." Clint pinched the bridge of his nose. This was frustrating. "Just tell your friend that you have to work." Clara offered. "She'll understand, won't she?" He didn't know what to do. He didn't have anything except his job and Clara. But at the same time, Natasha needed his help more than ever. Especially since he was the only other Avenger that knew anything about Varkov. "Clint? Are you still there?" Clara asked

"Yea." He answered.

"What should I tell the boss?" He closed his eyes again. That was a very good question.

**Natasha**

"Can you hand me one of the bowls from the cabinet on the far right?" Pepper asked, pointing across the kitchen.

"Um, yea." Natasha went to the cabinet and retrieved a bright blue bowl, then handed it to the pregnant woman.

"Thank you." Pepper said in a melodic voice. While she began to prepare a salad, Natasha quietly leaned against the counter. She wasn't sure what to do, and she didn't want to be in Pepper's way, so she just stood there watching. "So," Pepper said after a few minutes of silence. "Clint came after all." Natasha nodded. "What made him change his mind?"

"I'm not sure." She replied with a shrug. It wasn't a lie. Clint had always been a complicated person. There was no way of knowing exactly what went on inside his head.

"Well, I think it's great he decided to come. It's just like old times, huh? Everyone back together again." Pepper said enthusiastically. Natasha nodded, not in the mood to talk about Clint. She was still upset about their previous conversation at the station, even though she shouldn't be. It wasn't fair to him. Pepper must have sensed her lack of interest on the subject and quickly changed topics. "You know," she began, "I wouldn't mind having a look at this daughter of yours." Pepper glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. "Do you have any pictures with you?" Natasha froze.

"Um, no. I don't think so." She lied. She actually did have a few pictures on her phone, but she wasn't about to go showing them to anyone.

"Well, you'll probably need to get one." Pepper told her. "I assume the boys will want to see her so they know they got the right baby when you all go to get her." Shit. Natasha hadn't thought of that.

"I'll have to run home and get one." Pepper nodded and continued preparing dinner. That was the end of their conversation and Natasha was glad. She didn't want her to hear the insecurity that was becoming evident in her voice. If Pepper or any of the team saw a picture they would surely figure it out. Mara looked so much like her father…

"This shouldn't take too much longer," Pepper said, interrupting Natasha's thoughts. "Why don't you go get the boys?"

"Yea, sure." She answered and left the kitchen. Steve and Thor were still in the living room talking and joking with each other. They fell silent when they saw Natasha enter the room. "Dinner's almost ready." She told them. Thor jumped up and practically ran to the kitchen. Steve stood up, not moving towards any particular destination.

"Do you want me to go get Tony and Bruce?" He asked. She hesitated before giving him a small nod. It'd save her the trip. Steve walked off towards the elevator while Natasha glanced around the room in search of Clint. When she didn't see him, she turned to walk down the hall to check a few of the rooms. As she was turning, she glanced out the window and saw him on the balcony pacing back and forth. He appeared to be talking on the phone. Natasha walked over to the door leading outside and opened it slightly. As soon as she did this, Clint hung up his phone and rubbed his hands over his face in obvious irritation.

"Hey." She called softly. He looked up at her, not a hint of emotion on his face. "Dinner should be ready in a couple of minutes."

"Okay." He huffed. Natasha narrowed her eyes.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing, just forget about it." Clint snapped. She left after that, leaving him out on the balcony alone. He was obviously pissed about something, so she thought it'd be best not to be the cause of any further irritation. He was already doing so much for her, it was the least she could do.

When Natasha returned to the kitchen, Steve, Thor, Tony, and Bruce were already seated as Pepper placed large bowls of salad and spaghetti on the table. She helped the poor pregnant woman, who was struggling with the heavy dishes, carry them safely to the table. Everyone immediately dug in as soon as all the food had been set down. Everyone except Natasha. She wasn't hungry. There was too much on her mind. Mara, Clint, Varkov, the five days she would have left to save her daughter after she went to bed tonight…

Just then, Clint entered the room and took a seat at the far end of the table. He served himself a plateful of food and began stuffing his face, just like everyone else. They were all eating so much that it left little room for conversation, so everyone was relatively quiet. Pepper was the first one to say anything.

"So Clint," she said, looking at the archer across the table. "You work for the NYPD?" He made a strange face that looked like a mixture between humor and frustration.

"Um, yea. I worked for them." He answered. Pepper gave him a confused look.

"What do you mean 'worked'?" She asked. Clint sighed heavily.

"Well, as of thirty minutes ago, I've officially been fired." The clinking of forks and loud chewing sounds all stopped at once. Everyone stared at him, not sure whether to say something or continue eating. It was obvious they were wondering what he'd done to lose his job all of the sudden. Natasha, however, had a pretty good idea as to what had gotten him fired: Her. He had gotten fired because he was taking time off to help her. A wave of anger overcame her and she abruptly stood up and stormed out of the room. Once again, Natasha was causing Clint's life to fall apart, and he was letting it happen. Pepper was right. It was exactly like 'old times'.

** Well, Clint's out of a job. Quite a few hints about Mara's father. Any guesses? The truth may surprise you… But that's for later, so I won't get in to that now! Mwahahahahaaaaa! So, what are your thoughts on this chapter? It was mostly filler stuff, but there was at least one plot detail that will lead into something bigger later, which will then lead in to something even bigger! Again, I'm sorry for the delay. I'll try and write the next one faster! Speaking of the next chapter, here's what's gonna go down: Bruce and Tony continue trying to find Varkov while Steve, Clint, Natasha, and Thor do some training. Plus, we learn the gender of Tony and Pepper's baby. I'm still debating this, but after I'm done writing this story, I may use their baby for a spinoff. Any thoughts on that? Reviews, favorites, and follows are always appreciated! I'm almost to 100 follows! Thank you all so much for your support! You have no idea how much it means to me!**


	7. Still Got It

** Happy Election Day! Well, happy for me anyways. I am sooooo ready for this election to be over! If I have to see one more presidential campaign ad, I actually might hurl something at my television. So, to celebrate the end of the 2012 election, I thought I'd post chapter 7. Really I just want to get started on the next chapter because I think it will be a fun one to write! I've got some pretty good ideas! Anyways, with this chapter I decided to give you a different POV that I haven't used yet: Pepper! I thought it would make things some-what interesting to see things from her eyes. Especially since I've got something major in store for her later on. Well, maybe not extremely major. Let's just say it's important… but we'll get in to that later! This chapter has a few touching moments. Since everything that's going on in this story is pretty serious and intense, I decided it'd be nice to toss in some happier emotions to lighten the mood. Well, I'm rambling now. Sorry! Please enjoy chapter 7!**

**Chapter 7: Still Got It**

**Pepper**

Everyone at the table stared after Natasha in confusion. What was up with her?

"What's up with her?" Tony asked, practically reading Pepper's mind. They all shrugged. It was always hard to tell what was going on in the ex-assassin's mind. Maybe she just needed a moment to herself, but Pepper wasn't convinced that was it.

"Maybe someone should go talk to her." She suggested. All eyes immediately flashed to Clint, who was shoveling a forkful of spaghetti into his mouth. He froze mid-bite when he noticed everyone staring at him.

"I volunteer Clint." Tony said quickly. The archer dropped his fork and hastily shoved away from the table.

"If I'm not back in fifteen minutes, someone come rescue me." He called over his shoulder as he walked out of the kitchen. Pepper smiled. She'd heard Natasha and Clint hadn't left things very well, but it was obvious they still cared for each other. Once you form a bond with someone like they had, it must be impossible to break. She liked to believe she had that kind of connection with Tony…

"Hey Pep," Tony said, pulling her from her thoughts. "How've you been feeling today?" Pepper looked at him and smiled, appreciating his concern.

"I've been feeling great, thank you." She looked down at her swollen stomach and rubbed it. "This little one hasn't been too much of a trouble maker today." Pepper said with absolute affection.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Steve asked.

"I'm not sure yet," she replied. "My next appointment is…" Sudden realization hit her and her eyes went wide. "Tomorrow!" She exclaimed. "My next appointment is tomorrow!" Tony looked at her in confusion.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Pepper shook her head.

"Well, you won't be able to go if you're helping Bruce find Varkov, now will you? I'll have to call and reschedule." She shoved away from the table and began walking towards the phone. Tony beat her to it.

"I'll have plenty of time to find this nut-job and go with you to your appointment tomorrow. It'll be fine. Bruce can manage on his own for an hour." She opened her mouth to say something but Tony cut her off. "Look, I know you want Natasha to have all the help she can get, but do you really think she'd be alright with you cancelling your ultrasound because of her? She's dealing with a lot, and maybe some good news, like whether our baby is a girl or a boy, will take her mind off things." Tony pulled her into a soft hug. Pepper sighed.

"You're probably right." She said quietly. He smirked.

"Funny how often that happens." Pepper pushed away from him and lightly smacked him on his chest, rolling her eyes. They walked back over to the table and rejoined the others.

"I hope Natasha is okay." She thought out loud once she'd sat back down. "She seemed pretty upset about something."

"She's probably fine. Just had a little freak out is all. She's under a lot of stress, so it'd make sense." Tony replied. "Clint will be able to calm her down some I'm sure." Pepper nodded, silently hoping he was right.

**Clint**

Five minutes after Clint had left the kitchen, he was standing in front of the door to Natasha's room. He hesitated for a few seconds before placing three quick knocks on the door. A few moments later, a flustered Natasha opened the door.

"Hey." Clint said softly. She simply stared at him in response. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine." Natasha said sternly. He wasn't buying it.

"No you're not." He stated, pushing past her and into her room and closing the door behind him. "So are you going to tell me what's wrong or are you going to be difficult?" Natasha sighed and sat down on the bed.

"It's happening again." She said quietly. Clint gave her a confused look.

"What's happening?" He asked. She scoffed.

"Don't act like every time something goes wrong in your life it's because of me." Clint shook his head.

"What are you talking about?"

"You got fired." She said simply. Oh. So that's what this is about.

"Natasha, that has nothing to do with you." He lied.

"You're taking time off of work so you can help me and your boss got pissed and fired you. How does that have nothing to do with me?" Clint sighed and sat down next to her on the bed. She looked as though she was about to cry.

"That isn't your fault, okay. It's mine. Just like every other time you supposedly 'ruined my life'. It was my decision, and I decided that the life of your child was more important than my job." He said convincingly. When Natasha didn't respond Clint shoved off the bed and walked over to the door. "You should come back up and eat something. We should probably do some training tomorrow so you'll need your strength." He gave her a quick smile before opening the door and leaving her alone with her thoughts.

**Natasha**

Natasha remained in her room for the rest of the night, pondering what Clint had told her. She knew he was just trying to make her feel better. There was no way he actually believed that everything that was happening to him was because of his own decisions. She was sure he realized he was only making those decisions because of her.

After a few hours of feeling guilty, Natasha yawned and laid her head on her pillow. Clint had been right about one thing. She needed to start getting back in shape tomorrow. When they found Varkov, she had to be ready. Natasha wasn't going to leave anything to chance.

The next morning, Natasha woke up at 5:30. She groaned and sat up slowly, exhausted from another restless sleep. Now that she was up, it would be impossible for her to go back to bed, so Natasha climbed out from under the covers and went to her dresser in search of workout clothes. Nothing better than a good training session to get rid of that morning grogginess.

Once she was dressed she went to the kitchen on her floor for a cup of coffee. Natasha retrieved a mug from the cabinet above the coffee maker and began to brew a pot of the energizing drink. When the coffee was ready, she prepared it the way she liked it and took a few sips as she headed for the elevator. If memory served, the gym and shooting range were only a few floors below her, so it was a short ride down.

When the elevator dinged and the doors opened, Natasha stepped out and walked down the familiar hallway towards the gym area. She and Clint had used to come stay with Tony just so they could use his gym and shooting range. It was way better than the one on the helicarrier or at any of the other S.H.I.E.L.D facilities, but the best part was the fact that they'd always had it to themselves.

As she was passing the shooting range Natasha heard the sound of something hitting a target. There had been no familiar bang of a gun, so she peeked her head around the corner to see Clint standing a few yards away from a foam mannequin aiming an arrow straight at its head. He released the arrow and it sliced through the air, piercing the mannequin right between its eyes.

"You haven't lost your touch." Natasha said as she walked into the room causing Clint to jump slightly. He turned and smiled.

"It's like riding a bike." He said with a shrug.

"You never forget." She finished. Natasha watched him as he drew another arrow and sent it flying in to the mannequin's stomach. Clint gave a small fist pump in celebration. She laughed softly and rolled her eyes. Men.

"What about you?" He asked, setting his bow down.

"What about me?" She replied in confusion.

"Do you still got it? Or have you gone soft?" Clint said teasingly. Natasha laughed in response.

"Is that a challenge?" He smiled mischievously and tossed her a gun from the bench he'd set his bow on. She caught it easily and slid her hand over the familiar weapon, placing her finger on the trigger. Clint stepped aside and Natasha walked up to where he had been standing, flipped the safety off, and expertly shot the mannequin six times square on the nose. She flipped the safety back on and handed the gun back to a wide-eyed Clint with a smirk on her face.

"Soft…" She scoffed as she turned and headed for the door. Clint put his bow away and followed her out to the gym area. She began stretching, preparing for a long rigorous workout. He did the same and eventually they were both using the various pieces of equipment that were scattered around the gym. Natasha started on the treadmill, and then made her way to the elliptical before beginning her weightlifting routine.

Clint's workout routine had always been the same as Natasha's, just reversed. He had always started with his upper body due to the use of his preferred weapon, a bow, which required more arm strength than a gun. They both did their separate routines until they found themselves sitting together by the boxing ring. Natasha drank a swig of water and glanced at the ring. Whenever she and Clint had finished their workouts at the same time, they had always sparred with each other afterwards for good measure. He caught her looking at the ring and nudged her shoulder playfully.

"You wanna go?" Clint asked with a smirk. She looked at him in mockingly.

"You really think you can still take me?" He laughed.

"Oh, please. Being a cop required me to stay in shape and know how to disable someone, so I'm still in practice. You, on the other hand, probably aren't." She gave him a challenging look, even though everything he'd just said was probably true. It wasn't like she'd tell him that, though.

"Bring it on." Natasha jumped up and ducked into the ring. Clint followed and positioned himself squarely in front of her.

"I want this to be fair," he said, trying to sound serious. "So why don't you make the first move." She glared at him, but didn't hesitate to attack. Natasha charged him and attempted to punch him in the gut. He was prepared for this, though, and caught her fist, twisting her arm in the process. She did a back flip to untwist it then used the momentum to swing around and kick his legs out from under him. Clint grunted as he landed on his back. Natasha jumped on top of him and pinned his arms to the ground in no time at all.

"Hmm, you talk big but you can't dish it out. Just like old times." She said, completely out of breath. He gave her a mischievous smile in return. As soon as Natasha's grip loosened slightly, Clint pulled his hands free and grabbed her wrists, flipping her over and placing himself over her just as she had done to him.

"Looks like times have changed." He said teasingly. For some reason, this made her laugh. She laughed so hard that he started to laugh as well. When they had both calmed down some, Natasha realized that Clint was still on top of her. She looked up to find him staring at her, his smile replaced with a strange longing look she hadn't seen in a long time.

**Clint**

Clint stared at Natasha and she stared back. They sat there like that for a few minutes, neither of the moving. He took in her face and how it seemed more tired than it had three years prior. She looked paler too, her cheeks had almost lost the hint of pink they'd always had. Her hair, now longer, was still curly, just like it had always been, but the fiery red color seemed less vibrant. He wasn't sure whether it was due to having her daughter kidnapped or being a mother as a whole, but she obviously didn't look like herself anymore. That didn't mean she was any less beautiful than she had ever been.

As he continued to stare, Clint thought about what had happened between them all those years ago. When he'd agreed to assist Natasha in retrieving her daughter, he had promised himself that he wouldn't allow his anger to get in the way of helping her. But now he was finding it hard to be angry at her at all. She just seemed so fragile and worn down, like an old glass doll. He felt like if he even raised his voice at her she would crack.

Natasha shifted slightly underneath him, pulling Clint from his thoughts. They were still in the same position, still staring. Without thinking, he slowly began to lower his head towards her. She tensed slightly, but only for a moment. Clint felt her muscles begin to relax as she allowed him to lean in closer. She closed her eyes and so did he as he closed the distance between them. Their lips were almost touching when the ding of the elevator down the hall and the sound of footsteps caused them to look wide-eyed at the door. They both scrambled to their feet just in time to see Steve appear in the doorway.

"Morning." Natasha said breathlessly. Steve looked at them in surprise.

"Good morning." He replied and set down his gym bag. "You two are up early." She nodded.

"Yea, I'm an early riser." Clint saw her glance at the door nervously. "I was actually just finishing up with Clint here. I think I'm going to get a shower before breakfast." And with that, Natasha quickly walked out of the gym. He stared after her, trying to understand what had just happened. Had he really just tried to kiss her? And had she seriously almost let him?

"Is she alright?" Steve asked, grabbing Clint's attention.

"Yea, I think so." He said with a nod as he wondered the same thing about himself.

**Pepper**

"Tony! You'd better get your ass out here in the next five minutes or I'm gonna come in there…" Pepper yelled to her husband.

"I'm coming, I'm coming! Geez woman, pregnancy makes you crazy!" Tony cut her off as he walked into the room. She rolled her eyes and tossed him the keys to one of his many sports cars and they made their way to the elevator.

Once they'd made it to the parking deck, they climbed into one of the cars and sped off towards the hospital. During the ride, they argued back and forth on what they should name the baby depending on whether it was a boy or a girl.

"Really? You would name her that?" Pepper asked in disbelief as Tony sounded of girl names.

"Yes! Ginger is a spice, like pepper. It'd be funny!" He laughed.

"What if she doesn't have red hair?" Pepper asked. Tony thought for a moment.

"Good point. Okay then, what about…"

"Audrey." She broke in. Tony glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Audrey?" He said in a questioning tone. "Why?" Pepper shrugged.

"I don't know, I've just always loved the name Audrey." Tony nodded.

"I can picture having a daughter named Audrey. She'd be adorable." He said, reaching over and squeezing Pepper's knee. "Just like her mother." She smiled at him, loving how he sometimes knew exactly what to say. "There's the hospital." Tony said, turning his attention back to the road. Pepper's heart rate accelerated as they pulled in to the crowded parking lot. She was nervous and excited all at the same time.

Once they'd found a parking space and gotten out of the car, Tony took Pepper's hand and squeezed it.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"Let's do this." Pepper replied as they turned and began walking towards the front doors of the hospital.

**Tony**

"Doesn't anyone work here?" Tony asked loudly in hopes that _someone_ might hear him.

"Tony, shush!" Pepper scolded, grabbing his arm. She had been reclined on a chair in the center of the room next to the ultrasound machine for more than thirty minutes now.

"I'm sorry, I just thought it'd be nice if someone could come in here and do their job." He said exasperated. Just then, a young brunette entered the room with a bottle in her hands.

"Sorry for the wait, Mr. and Mrs. Stark. I just needed to find some gel." She said, holding up the bottle.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all." Pepper replied sweetly. Tony coughed to prevent himself from saying anything.

"Alright then, let's get started." The small nurse said. "First, you're going to need to lift up your shirt." Pepper did as she asked and the nurse squeezed some of the gel into her gloved hand. "Now I'm going to apply the gel." She smeared the gel onto Pepper's belly. Tony saw her flinch slightly.

"You okay?" He asked, suddenly concerned. She looked up at him and smiled.

"Yea, it's just really cold." Tony laughed softly, taking her hand.

"Don't be a wimp." He said sarcastically. Pepper rolled her eyes.

"Okay, we can begin the ultrasound now." Said the nurse. "Just watch the screen and I'll tell you when you can see it." Pepper's grip on Tony's hand tightened as the girl began running the scanner over her stomach. They waited a few moments until they saw shapes beginning to form on the screen. "And, there it is." The nurse said with a smile. Pepper gasped and Tony leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "Here's the head, that's an arm, there's a leg…" The little brunette began pointing out the different body parts but Tony wasn't paying attention. He was completely overcome by the sight of their baby. It was the most amazing thing he had ever seen. "Would you like to know the gender?" The nurse asked when she had finished pointing at the screen.

"Yes." Tony and Pepper said in unison. This was it.

"Congratulations," she said, "it's a boy." A boy. They were going to have a son. Tony saw a tear streak down Pepper's face as she took it all in. "Do you want to hear the heartbeat?" All he could do was nod. The nurse smiled and flipped a switch on the machine. A faint thumping sound filled the room. Tony's eyes filled with tears as he listened to his son's heartbeat. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.

**Yaaaay! So, Tony and Pepper are having a little baby boy! I always pictured them having a son. Oh, and I couldn't find who said this in the reviews, but someone mentioned this whole thing about them having a daughter named Ginger because it was a spice, and thought that was too good to leave out! So if whoever said that is reading this, just know I tossed that in there for you! On a different note, what did ya'll think of Natasha and Clint's almost-kiss!? I hadn't been planning on doing that, but when I got to writing that part it just felt so right! Just a little more drama to make things more interesting! So, as a whole, a good and long touchy-feely chapter. Hope you all liked it! Reviews, favorites, and follows are appreciated, as always! Speaking of follows, this story now has 100 followers! Thank you all for that sooooo much! It means a lot! The next chapter should be up in the next couple of days probably. It's gonna be epic! Until next time, adios!**


	8. You're Invited

**Wow, it's been almost a week since I've updated! Sorry about that :/ This is by far the longest chapter I've ever written for this story, so hopefully that will make up for it. There are a lot of things going on in this chapter that will make a lot of people very, very happy! Also, LOTS of drama in this chapter, and when I say LOTS I mean LLLLOOOOOOTTTTTSSSS! That's part of the reason why it took so long. Also had a real busy week. Two projects, club meetings, one really big test. Oh, and I need glasses so I had to get that taken care of! Now I'll officially get to be a nerdy girl with glasses who writes fanfictions about her favorite movie, the Avengers! Everything is falling into place! Anyways, back to the story! If I could say one thing about this chapter, I'd say it's probably one of, if not the, most important chapter of the story. Read on to find out why! Enjoy **

**Chapter 8: You're Invited**

**Tony**

Tony and Pepper returned to the tower with smiles on their faces. They were both admiring the sonogram of their son that they'd had printed to show their friends. This had to be one of the happiest days of Tony's life.

"I guess this means we need to start thinking about boy names." Pepper said, tucking the sonogram into her bag.

"Oh, yea. We did only discuss girl names on our way over didn't we?" Tony realized. They walked into the lobby and headed for the elevators.

"What do you think about Evan?" Pepper asked as they neared the front desk. Tony made a face. "Okay then, how about Daniel?" That had a better ring to it.

"Put that one on the list." He told her.

"Um, excuse me, Mr. Stark?" The young receptionist said as they passed her desk.

"Yea?" Tony answered. She held up a white envelope.

"A man came by earlier and told me to give this to you. He said you would know what to do with it." She said handing it to him. There was a name written elegantly across the top of it: _Natalia_. Tony narrowed his eyes.

"Did you happen to get this guy's name?" He asked her. She shook her head.

"He was gone before I could ask."

"Alright then, thank you Kelly." Tony said politely before joining Pepper by the elevators.

"What was that about?" She asked. He wordlessly handed her the envelope. "Natalia?"

"It's Natasha's Russian name. Her _real_ name." Pepper gasped.

"You don't think this is from…" She trailed off as Tony nodded. He didn't just think, he knew.

**Natasha**

Natasha allowed the steaming hot water to calm her down as she tried to process what had almost happened in the gym. Clint had almost kissed her! What was he thinking? But more importantly, what was _she _thinking? She should have stopped him, but she didn't. Could there be a part of her that didn't want to stop him? Was there something somewhere inside her that wished Steve hadn't walked in when he did? Had she wanted Clint to kiss her?

Natasha shook her head as though it would help clear her mind. Why was she even thinking about this still? She needed to get her thoughts under control and start focusing on Mara. That was why she was here after all. Nothing had happened between her and Clint and nothing was going to happen. Ever. She just needed to forget about the whole thing and direct all her attention to finding her daughter.

Finally feeling as though she had calmed down enough, Natasha shut the water off and stepped out of the shower. She wrapped a towel around herself and began drying her body rigorously. As soon as she was dry she put on a tank-top and a pair of skinny jeans she'd laid out for herself and slid into a dark leather jacket. Natasha decided that she should find out how Bruce was coming with Varkov's location.

"Hey, JARVIS?" She called, wondering if the AI would even respond.

"Yes, Ms. Romanoff?" The British voice responded.

"Could you tell me where Bruce is?" She asked.

"Certainly. He's in the kitchen on the top floor." JARVIS replied. Natasha nodded to herself.

"Okay, thanks." She said, and exited the room. Once in the elevator she clicked the button for the top floor, which had become the main gathering place for all the Avengers when they'd all stayed there. The elevator dinged, the doors opened, and Natasha stepped out. She glanced around nervously, checking to see if Clint was there. When she saw that he was nowhere to be found, Natasha noticed Bruce sitting alone at the kitchen table. He looked up when he heard the elevator and smiled.

"Good morning." He said, glancing at his watch. "Or should I say afternoon. It's almost 1:00 already." Huh. It was that late already?

"Well, good afternoon then." She said, settling into the chair next to him. Bruce smiled at her and looked into his mug of tea he had in front of him.

"I'm guessing you want to know how it's coming with Varkov." He said knowingly. She smiled sheepishly. Her smile, however, vanished when she saw Bruce's reaction. "I'm not going to lie to you. We've got nothing. We checked all his previous locations, did a face-trace, tracked cell phones, credit cards, checks, you name it. It's always a dead end. He's hiding and he obviously knows what he's doing." Natasha sighed heavily, disappointed that there were no leads as to where this bastard was. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by the ding of the elevator. They both turned around to see Clint walk out.

"Hey uh, Natasha, could we talk for a moment?" He asked uncomfortably when he saw her sitting at the table. She nodded wordlessly and shoved away from the table. He led her into the bathroom down the hall and closed the door. "Look," he began, "about what happened earlier…"

"Almost happened." She said, cutting him off. "I know what you're going to say. You have a girlfriend and what _almost_ happened didn't happen, shouldn't happen, and can't happen. So, why don't we just forget about it." Natasha said knowingly. "How'd I do?"

"Pretty spot on, actually." He said trying to hide his surprise. She gave him a small apologetic smile and turned to leave the bathroom when Clint caught her arm. "Wait," he said, pulling her back. "How did you know I had a girlfriend?" Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please. The blonde receptionist at the station? The second I said your name she went on the defensive. Plus, you always had a thing for blondes." Clint smiled slightly.

"You're good." He said causing her to smile in satisfaction.

"Haven't I always been?" She said cockily.

"Yea, you've always been full of it too." He laughed.

"How long have you known me?" Natasha asked sarcastically, glad that what had _almost_ happened in the gym earlier wasn't making things awkward. Clint smirked as she walked past him and opened the door. They both left the bathroom and went back to the living area. Thor and Steve had both come up and were sitting on the couch watching television. Steve glanced up when they entered the room, giving Natasha a curious look. She smiled at him and he returned his attention to the screen.

Just then, the familiar ding of the elevator sounded and everyone's attention turned to Tony and Pepper as they stepped out. Natasha suddenly remembered something about Pepper having an ultrasound this week.

"Oh, great. You're all here." Tony said, barely containing his excitement. "We have something to tell you." The billionaire was practically jumping out of his pants.

"Well?" Clint asked.

"Tell us before you explode, Stark." Steve said from the couch.

"Pepper and I are going to have a son!" Tony exclaimed. Natasha grinned and ran over to hug Pepper.

"That's great! I'm so happy for you!" She said enthusiastically. The other Avengers chimed in with their 'congratulations'.

"Thank you." The pregnant woman said appreciatively. "But, let's not celebrate quite yet." She glanced at Tony.

"Natasha," he said while moving towards her. "Kelly said a man came by and dropped this off. I'm assuming it's for you." Tony handed her a white envelope. She flipped it over to see _Natalia_ written neatly across the top.

**Clint**

Clint saw every muscle in Natasha's body go tense.

"What is that?" He asked. "Is it from Varkov?"

"I think so." She answered quietly before tearing the envelope open and pulling out two pieces of paper. She read over them. "It's an invitation." All the Avengers had gathered near Natasha to see the papers.

"An invitation to what?" Clint asked.

"A party." She answered. "It's an invite to a formal party in… Paris, France."

"Paris, France?" Everyone said in unison. Natasha nodded.

"That's what it says." She passed it around for everyone to see.

"Why would he invite you to a party all the way in France?" He asked when he read over the invite. She shrugged.

"All I know is that he tends to pick locations that give him an advantage." The others nodded.

"Give me the invitation. I'll check out the address to see if there's anything there that could catch us off guard." Said Tony. Natasha folded the paper in half and handed it to him.

"What does the other paper say?" Bruce asked, pointing to the piece of folded notebook paper in her hand. She opened it and began to read it out loud.

"_'Dear Natalia. I have found myself in a rare mood of generosity lately. I understand that the mission I tasked you with, even with the help of Tony Stark, is quite challenging and the punishment for its incompletion is quite severe. I'm willing to renegotiate our terms in person. I will also allow you to visit with your daughter, just to remind you what you're trying to save. I expect to see you at my party in two days. If you do not come, I will not hesitate to kill you daughter before the night's end. P.S. Do bring your friends. It's going to be a marvelous night! Yours truly, Sergei Varkov.'_" Natasha finished reading the letter and handed it to Clint, who read over it again.

"I don't like it." He said once he'd finished rereading it. "It's got to be a trap." She nodded in agreement.

"I know. But we have to go." Everyone stared at her.

"If we know it's a trap, why the hell would we go?" Tony asked exasperated.

"Because," Natasha said angrily, "he said if we aren't there, he'll kill Mara. We're going. End of story." She snatched the letter out of Clint's hands and turned to leave the room, but he caught her arm.

"No one ever said we weren't going." Clint said reassuringly.

"I'm sure if he tries to harm any of us we shall be able to handle him." Thor chimed in. Natasha sighed and nodded.

"We're probably going to need something to wear, though." Clint said, realizing that he didn't have a suit. Tony grinned and pulled out his wallet.

"Leave that to the billionaire." He said waving the piece of leather in front of everyone's faces.

"Great! I know the greatest little boutique on 5th Avenue. It has the most gorgeous dresses and some of the loveliest suits I've ever seen!" Pepper exclaimed. Tony immediately raised his hand.

"All in favor of wherever it is Pepper is talking about." Everyone raised their hand just to simplify things. Pepper squealed with excitement.

"Yay! I'll go get my bag!" She said as she hurriedly headed down the hall. Natasha rushed after her.

"I'll come with you." She called after the pregnant woman.

"Well, it looks like we're going shopping." Clint sighed. "This is gonna be fun."

**Natasha**

"Hey, Pepper? Do you see my phone over there?" Natasha called to Pepper from the opposite side of her room. They had gone down to get some of Natasha's things after Pepper had gotten her bag. She had set her phone down for one second but now it was gone.

"Seriously, Natasha, you are the only person I have ever met who takes longer than me to get ready to go somewhere." Pepper said impatiently. Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Could you just help me look for it? The guys are waiting." She heard Pepper sigh and walk over to the bed. "Here it is." She called when she checked the bedside table.

"Thanks," Natasha said quickly glancing over her shoulder to see Pepper looking at her iPhone. "Let me just grab a few more things."

"Is this you and Mara?" Pepper asked as Natasha shoved a few more things into her bag. She froze. The background on her phone. She'd forgotten to change the background on her phone! "Wow," Pepper breathed. "She looks… just… like…" She trailed off and Natasha spun around to see her staring at her phone in complete shock. It was too late. She knew. "Oh my God." Pepper gasped.

"Pepper…" Natasha began, but she wasn't sure what to say. Where was she supposed to go from here? Silence fell over them for a few moments, only to be broken by Pepper's disbelieving voice.

"How could you not say anything?" She asked, completely dumbfounded. Natasha was at a loss for words.

"I… uh…" She stuttered as she attempted to form a sentence. How was she supposed to explain this?

"This is unbelievable." Pepper had begun pacing the room.

"Look, don't go making assumptions about anything until you know the whole story." Natasha said as forcefully as she could, although her voice was still shaky.

"I'm not assuming anything. I just wish you'd been up front about this from the beginning." Pepper tried reasoning. Natasha scoffed.

"He doesn't even know, so how the hell was I supposed to tell any of you?" She shot back angrily. Pepper stopped pacing and stared at her in utter amazement.

"He doesn't know?" She asked placing her hand on her chest. Whoops. "Natasha, how could you not tell him something like this?" Natasha opened her mouth to answer but was cut off by a sudden knock on the door.

"Are you two almost ready? We really should get a move on!" Tony called from the hallway.

"We're coming." Pepper replied before glancing at Natasha. She gave her a pleading look.

"Please don't say anything." She practically begged. Pepper gave her an incredulous look.

"I'm not saying anything. You are, and soon." And with that, she walked out of the room and joined the others in the hall. Natasha just stood there, trying to understand what had just happened. She had to remember to change the background on her phone before someone else saw it. She couldn't risk anyone else finding out like that, especially if they had a big mouth. This was something she was going to need to tell everyone in person, but not yet. Natasha wasn't ready. Suddenly, Clint stuck his head through the door, causing her to jump.

"Are you coming?" He asked. She nodded and exited the room, joining the others by the elevator.

"Well it's about time!" Tony exclaimed as he tapped the button.

"Sorry," she said annoyed. "I was trying to find my phone." The elevator dinged and they all filed in as Tony clicked the button for the lobby. Natasha could feel Pepper's gaze boring into the back of her head. All she could do is hope that the pregnant woman would follow through on her promise and not say anything to the guys. Not yet.

Pepper had been right. The little boutique was absolutely perfect for the type of party they would be attending. Natasha browsed through multiple gowns that would suit her with Pepper making a few suggestions here and there.

"What about this one?" Pepper pointed out a long red ball gown that was hanging in the window. Natasha cocked her head.

"It's a little ostentatious, don't you think? Besides, I would barely be able to move in that dress, much less fight if that's what it comes to." She said thoughtfully. Pepper nodded and turned around to look at some of the other dresses.

"Oh, what about this one?" She asked again after only looking at a few dresses on one of the racks. Natasha looked the dress from top to bottom. It was a spaghetti strap black maxi dress with a slit along the left side that went all the way up to the red band of fabric that was draped around the hip. "I think it's perfect. Not too ostentatious, but not too discrete. Also the slit in the side will allow you to move more freely. What do you think?"

"It'll be perfect." Natasha agreed as she took the dress from Pepper's hands and held it up to herself while looking in one of the store's many mirrors. "This will definitely work."

"Wow, that looks amazing." Clint said as he walked up behind her. A small smiled tugged at the corners of her lips.

"Thank you." She replied. He gave her a small smile in return before turning his attention to Pepper.

"Hey, Tony says he needs your help." He told her, pointing his thumb towards the men's section. Pepper rolled her eyes.

"Of course he does. That man couldn't tie his shoes without me." She huffed as she strode off in the direction Clint was pointing. They both stared after her.

"Is she alright?" He asked suddenly. Natasha shrugged.

"I think so. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know, she just seems a little off is all." Clint told her, still looking in the direction Pepper had gone in. Natasha scoffed.

"There are about a million different things that can make a pregnant woman seem 'off'. It's probably just hormones." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, I guess." She nodded and glanced at the register towards the front of the store.

"Um, I'm going to go pay for this real quick." Natasha turned and began walking towards the register.

"Alright." Clint said as she left him behind. Once she was sure he could no longer hear her, Natasha quietly cursed to herself. He knew there was something going on.

"Damn him and his stupid attention to detail." She whispered. When Clint thought something was up, he usually wasn't wrong, and he knew it. He would just keep digging and digging until he found out what was going on. Natasha silently prayed that, for just this once, he decided to let it go.

**Clint**

There was something going on with Pepper and Natasha, and Clint just couldn't let it go. He had noticed the odd looks Pepper had given Natasha on the ride to the boutique and how she had avoided looking anyone in the eye. At first he'd just thought they were mad at each other for some reason, but then he noticed how uncomfortable Natasha seemed when she was around the others. They were hiding something, but what?

Suddenly, the bell on the front door rang and a little blonde girl walked in. Clint's eyes went wide when he recognized the girl to be none other than Clara. What the hell was she doing here? He couldn't let her see him on a shopping spree with the Avengers!

"Shit!" He whispered and ducked behind one of the sales racks. He peeked around the corner to see his girlfriend talking to the clerk at the front of the store. She turned and looked in Clint's direction and he ducked back behind the rack. Too late.

"Clint?" Clara called out as she walked towards him. He stood up.

"Clara, uh… hey." He stuttered. She raised an eyebrow.

"What are you doing here?" Clint held up the suit he had bought and showed it to her.

"You know, just um, buying a suit." Clara laughed.

"Since when can _you_ afford anything in here?" He smiled at her nervously.

"I could ask you the same question."

"I'm not buying anything," she told him. "It's my sister's wedding next month. She's buying her dress from here and has a fitting today. Me and a couple of her friends are stopping by to see it." Clint nodded in approval.

"Well, that's nice." He said as he watched Clara's eyes travel back to the suit in his hands.

"Wait, why do you need a suit?" She asked. Clint swallowed hard.

"It's for a… uh… funeral!" He blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. Her eyes became sympathetic and she placed a hand over her chest.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry. Who died?" Clara asked. Clint ran his hand through his hair.

"An old friend." He said, making things up as he went along. "Yeah, a really old friend. I never talked about him much so you probably wouldn't recognize his name. Me and a couple of friends are here getting things to wear." Shit! Why did he say something about friends?

"Hey, Clint!" Tony called as he walked towards him. Clara's eyes went wide with shock. _Fuck you, Stark._ Clint thought as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Is that Tony Stark?" Clara whispered as Tony approached them.

"Yes. Yes it is." He said, not even trying to think of a lie to tell her.

"And you know him?" All Clint could do was nod.

"Clint, I need your opinion." Tony said when he finally reached them. "Which tie looks better with the buttons on this suit, the red or the blue?" He asked as he held up two different ties to his chest.

"Not a good time, Stark." Clint growled. Tony threw his hands up dramatically.

"Sorry, it's just that I need to look good for this party! Natasha told me that I'm going to be a distraction since I am a genius, billionaire, playboy… Oh, who's this?" He asked when he noticed Clara standing there. She had narrowed her eyes and was staring straight at Clint.

"Tony, this is my girlfriend, Clara." He told him. She turned away from Clint and held out her hand for Tony to shake.

"Hello, Mr. Stark. It's lovely to meet you." She said sweetly. "Clint? Can I talk to you for a second?" Without waiting for a response from either of the men, Clara swiftly withdrew her hand from Tony's grasp and grabbed Clint's arm, pulling him towards the front of the store.

"You're friends with Tony Stark?" She asked angrily. Clint nodded shamefully. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because, I didn't think it was that important." He said defending himself.

"Yeah, being friends with one of the richest men in the world isn't important at all." She said sarcastically. "Oh, and one more thing. Why did he say you were going to a party? Because I thought you distinctly said that you were going to a funeral!" Clara was fuming.

"Look, Clara, you need to calm down. You're getting worked up over nothing…"

"Can I assume you're attending this party with Natasha? Your _friend_?" Clint stared at her in shock. Was she suggesting that he was cheating on her? With _Natasha_?

"Okay, slow down. You don't even know the whole story." He said evenly. Clara calmed down some.

"You're right." She said in a controlled voice. "So how about I give you thirty seconds to start explaining?"

"I... can't…" Clint stuttered as he tried to form a sentence. What was he supposed to say?

"I'm waiting." Clara said impatiently.

"I can't tell you." He finally managed to say. She laughed sarcastically.

"Right. You can't tell me. You quit your job, can't tell me why. You're friends with a billionaire, can't tell me how. You know, it's starting to look like there's a really long list of things you can't tell me. It's like there's a whole other side of you that I've never even known about." She said in a disbelieving tone. Clint wasn't sure what to say to her, since she _was_ right, so he just remained silent. "You want to know what I can't do? I can't be with a man who isn't honest about who he is." Clara said looking him right in the eye.

"What are you saying?" Clint asked, even though he knew exactly what she was saying.

"I'm saying that we're done." And with that she stormed off towards the bridal department. Clint just stood there, completely shocked. It looks like he could add that on to the list of things that were totally screwed up in his life. First his job, now his love life. He hoped and prayed that he wouldn't have to add anything else to that list this week.

"Clint?" Natasha called as she came up to him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He snapped and pushed past her to join the others who were checking out at the register. She stared after him, confused. He felt a little bad for being rude to her, but he was too upset to apologize right now. "Hey, Tony." Clint called out as he approached the register. "Are we almost ready to go?"

"Yeah. It took a while to find a tux that would fit Gigantor over here." Tony answered pointing his thumb at Thor.

"Yes, most of the suits were quite constricting. Mortals are so tiny." The thunder god laughed to himself.

"Why don't you all go get in the car while I finish paying?" Tony said nodding towards the door. Everyone agreed and they all exited the shop with their newly bought formal ware, leaving the billionaire to settle the expenses. When they reached the curb they all filed into the limo Tony had described as a car and settled in for the ride home. Clint sat down between Steve and Natasha and fastened his seat belt. He stared down at the floor while Bruce, Thor, and Steve listened to a couple of ideas Natasha had as to how they should go about arriving at the party. When Tony finally climbed into the limo next to Pepper, the driver pulled out into traffic and they began the long drive back to Stark Tower.

**Natasha**

"Ugh! This thing just won't stay in place!" Natasha complained as she tried to get a gun holster to fit around the inside of her thigh. As soon as they had arrived back at the tower she had set to work preparing for the party in less than two days. Natasha had slid into her dress, which she was totally in love with, and had begun equipping it with hidden holsters and sheaths so she could inconspicuously carry weapons. She usually liked to have a gun be the most accessible so Natasha had decided to use a holster that went around her leg, but the damn thing kept sliding all over the place!

"Maybe you should try a smaller one." Pepper called from the bedroom.

"Yeah, I think that might work better." Natasha replied. "Could you bring one in here?" Pepper appeared at the bathroom door and handed her the new gun holster. She took it and examined it for a moment. "Uh, Pepper… thanks. For not saying anything to the guys." She said without looking up.

"I told you I wouldn't say anything. That's something that _you_ need to tell them. _All_ of them." Pepper told her, putting extra emphasis on the last part. Natasha nodded and began attempting to fit the holster around her thigh.

"You're right, I'm just not sure how I'm going to do that."

"Well, you'd better figure it out soon. If you don't tell them by the time you all leave tomorrow night, I _will_ step in." Pepper said forcefully. "The last thing that needs to happen is for them to see Mara and get distracted. You guys aren't sure what Varkov is planning so there doesn't need to be any extra surprises." Natasha sighed.

"Is it really that obvious?" She asked. Pepper walked over to her and placed her hands on her shoulders.

"A blind man could see it." She said seriously.

"Excellent." Natasha said sarcastically as she removed the gun holster from her leg. "This one is too small." Pepper took the holster from her and checked the size of it.

"It's a small. The last one was a large, right?" She asked. Natasha nodded.

"Yeah, so I guess I just need a medium."

"Alright, I'll go ask Tony if we have one somewhere." Pepper said as she exited the bathroom. Once she'd left, Natasha sighed and sat down on the toilet seat. Pepper was right. She needed to tell the guys who Mara's father was. They had a right to know, but how would they react to something like this? The real question was, would the reveal distract them from the task at hand, or make them more determined than ever to help rescue her? There was only one way to find out. She would tell everyone after dinner that night. That way they would have time to process it before they left the next day. Everyone needed to have a clear head for this mission. There would be no room for mistakes.

**Clint**

Clint looked through the assorted holsters and sheaths Tony had given him to choose from that he could conceal in his new tux. He had already picked out a few and chosen where he'd wanted them to go, but now he needed to figure out how to attach them. When he had worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., Natasha had always been the one to prepare his suit for him if that was what the job had called for. He sighed, gathering his suit and holsters and walking out of his room. He walked down the hall towards Natasha's room, passing the living area where the rest of the Avengers had gathered.

"What are you all doing down here?" Clint asked, wondering why they weren't hanging out on the top floor like they usually did. Bruce looked at him and shrugged.

"This floor has an Xbox." He said simply. Clint glanced at the TV to see Steve and Tony playing Call of Duty. He rolled his eyes and continued down the hall. As he was passing the elevator the doors opened and Pepper stepped out nearly running right into him.

"Oh, Clint. Are you going to Natasha's room?" She asked, glancing at his suit and holsters.

"Yeah, I need her help with my tux." He told her. The pregnant woman held up a gun holster she was holding.

"When you go, could you bring this to her? She needed one in a medium." He nodded and Pepper handed him the holster.

"Sure thing." Clint said as she turned in the opposite direction and headed towards the living area. A few moments later he was standing in front of Natasha's door. He knocked a few times and waited until she answered.

"Just a sec." Natasha called from inside. A minute later she answered the door wearing her dress with her hair in an up do. Clint gave a low whistle.

"Nice." He complimented her. She smiled.

"Do you need something?"

"I was wondering if you could help me out with my suit. You know how clueless I am when it comes to this stuff." He said and she stepped aside allowing him to enter. "Oh, and Pepper told me to give this to you." Natasha turned and saw him holding up the gun holster.

"Sweet!" She exclaimed, grabbing it from his free hand and rushing into the bathroom. "You can put your stuff on the bed. I'm just gonna make sure this fits." She called over her shoulder. Clint did as she said and began spreading everything out on her bed. While he did this he heard a small thump on the floor by his feet and looked down to see Natasha's iPhone lying on the ground. It must have been on the bed and he'd accidentally knocked it off. Clint bent over and picked up the phone, flipping it over to make sure it hadn't cracked. The top button must have gotten pressed when it hit the ground because the screen was illuminated with a picture of Natasha and a baby girl who he could only assume was Mara. Clint curiously studied the photo. Natasha was holding the baby girl in her arms, smiling affectionately. He stared at her for a moment, having never seen his former partner so happy, before shifting his gaze to Mara. That's when Clint noticed something.

It was obvious she was Natasha's daughter with her petite face, curly hair, and full lips, but other than that, Mara resembled a completely different person. His heart started to beat faster and his palms became sweaty as Clint realized he knew that other person. He recognized her sandy brown hair, her gray-blue eyes and the way they squinted when she smiled. He recognized them because it was his hair, his eyes… his baby. Mara was his baby.

"Oh my God." Clint managed to whisper. Just then, Natasha walked out of the bathroom, still wearing her dress.

"Okay, so I'm assuming you need help with _everything_." She said as she entered the room. Clint looked up and a loud gasp escaped her lips as she noticed her phone in his hands. "Clint…" Natasha said slowly while taking a few steps towards him. He stared at her, not a hint of emotion on his face. "You weren't supposed to see that."

**Whoooooooa! And there you have it, my dedicated fans. Clint is Mara's father! Big shocker, right? Haha, JK. But seriously, tell me you didn't see that one coming? It was pretty funny to hear some of your speculations though. I got a lot of wild guesses like Fury and Coulson, which I nearly died laughing over, but most of you did guess Clint, so congrats to you all, cuz you were right! I'm glad I got you all guessing, though. That was what I'd wanted to do. Keep you guessing all the way up until the big reveal! Did it work? So, yea. My hands hurt super bad from writing this. Almost 5,700 words in this chapter! Crazy long chapter, so don't be expecting the next one to be nearly as extravagant! That doesn't mean I won't put as much effort into it, though ;) Here's a little sneak peek for what's coming next:**

**Clint has found out that he is Mara's father, and he isn't exactly happy that Natasha kept it from him. With these two at each other's necks, and the other Avengers trying to figure out what the hell is going on, will they all be able to regain focus before the leave for Paris?**

**In other words, Clint and Natasha have a huge fight, the others try and figure out what it's about, and as a bonus we'll get some hints as to what happened between Clint and Natasha three years prior! Well, that's all for now! Thanks for reading! PLEASE review! I need to know what you all thought! I didn't have many reviews last chapter which tells me people are losing interest (that doesn't mean I won't finish this story!). This chapter is how I'm hoping to get people excited about the future of the story and the only way I can know that is if you review, favorite, and follow this story, so please do so if you're excited for more! The action is yet to come, so stay tuned…**


	9. Everything Changes

**Sooooo, how ya'll doin after that cliffhanger? Are you ready for the aftermath of the big revelation? Cause things are about to get real! I've been picturing how I want this chapter to go for a while now and this is what I decided on. I've been having so much fun writing this story! And your reviews mean the world to me! You all are so supportive and are full of kind and helpful criticism that inspires me to keep writing! This one's for you guys (especially those of you who kept pestering me to update *cough*GhostGlowLight*cough*) ****! Here it is: Chapter 9!**

**Chapter 9: Everything Changes**

**Natasha**

Natasha stared at Clint in horror. She'd forgotten to change the wallpaper on her phone. How could she be so stupid? This was exactly what she had been trying to prevent, but now it was too late. Clint knew that he was the father. That much was obvious judging by the look on his face. He was staring at her and Natasha was staring back. Neither of them said anything. She was waiting for him to say something, to blow up in her face, but he didn't. He just stared at her; a million different emotions crossing his face. Finally, after a few minutes of silence, Clint started to move. He tightened his grip on her phone and then forcefully slammed it onto the bed in anger as he began to pace back and forth.

"Clint…" Natasha said in a small, shaky voice. He stopped pacing and turned to glare at her.

"Care to explain this?" He asked, furiously gesturing to the phone.

"What do you want me to say?" She replied quietly. Frustrated tears had begun to burn at the back of her eyes.

"I want you to tell me the truth." Clint said in a slightly more controlled voice. "Am I her father?"

"You already know the answer to that." Natasha told him.

"I want to hear you say it. Am I her father?" He asked again. Her chin began to wobble as tears spilled over the brims of her eyes.

"Yes." She breathed, lowering her head. Clint began pacing again.

"Oh my God. Oh my God." He muttered over and over again.

"You're acting as though you didn't even suspect this." Natasha accused him.

"That's because I didn't!" He fired back.

"Why?" She asked.

"Well, one, we only slept together once, so I figured what are the odds? Two, I had no idea how many guys you'd been with since I last saw you but I was guessing there'd been at least one, so I assumed that she was most likely someone else's. And three, I had hoped that, on the off chance I was the father, you would have the decency to tell me straight up. Obviously I was wrong." Clint was fuming. Natasha opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"I'm sorry." Was all she could manage after a few moments of standing there with her mouth open.

"You're sorry?" He stopped moving to stare at her in disbelief. "You're sorry." He said with a sarcastic laugh. Natasha just stared at him, unsure of what to say next. "You should have told me." Clint said without waiting for her response. "And I don't mean when you came to talk to me at the station, I mean when you first found out you were pregnant. Then maybe none of this would have happened."

"What, are you saying you could have prevented this?" She asked as anger began to creep its way into her voice.

"Yeah, I probably could have!" He yelled before turning and storming out of the room. "Probably could have raised her a hell of a lot better, too." Clint mumbled under his breath.

"Excuse me?" Natasha said furiously before following him out of the room and down the hall. "You honestly think that she would have been better off with you?" He stopped when he got to the living area and turned to face her.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Tony called from the couch, but they ignored him.

"Yes, I do, because so far she's spent her entire life with you and now she's been kidnapped! Hell, she'd probably be better off with anyone but you." That was all Natasha could take. With one swift movement she swung her arm towards him and slapped him across his face. Clint stumbled backward, caught off guard by the sudden impact on his left cheek. Steve had walked up behind him and caught him before he fell to the ground. Natasha felt someone grab her shoulders as Tony stepped between the ex-assassins.

"What the hell is going on?" He asked, obviously confused. Clint ignored him and shook Steve's hand off his shoulder before walking towards the door to the balcony. "Clint!" Tony called after him.

"Fuck off, Stark." Clint replied without even turning around. He walked outside onto the balcony, slamming the door behind him. Everyone stared after him before fixing their gazes on Natasha. She ignored them and continued glaring at the door Clint had just gone through.

"Natasha?" Bruce said as he gently squeezed her shoulders. She shook him off and took a deep, shaky breath while tears poured from her eyes.

"I'm fine." She said forcefully before glancing at Tony who had an Xbox controller in his hand. "What the hell are you doing?" He turned to look at her once he realized who she was talking to. Tony followed her gaze until his eyes reached the controller, which he then quickly hid behind his back. "Are you playing Xbox? Right now?" Great. Walls were practically coming down around her and they were playing Xbox. 

"Well, you were off playing dress up so we decided to pass the time until you were ready to tell us the plan." Tony said innocently. Natasha glared at him.

"Well, Tony, I can't exactly make a plan until you look up that address like you said you would." She said pointedly. "So how about instead of sitting on your ass playing video games, you go check it out. I'm going to need to know if this place will give Varkov any advantages. I'm also going to need a floor plan so we'll know how many exits there are and the most probably place he'd be holding my daughter. I'm not leaving that party without her." Tony just stood there trying to remember everything she was saying. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go!" She yelled, frustrated. The billionaire jumped slightly and ran off to the elevator. Steve, Bruce, and Thor remained where they were. "You three go help him. Come see me when you're done. Then we can get started." The remaining Avengers nodded and joined Tony by the elevator. Natasha wiped her damp eyes and rushed off to her room to change out of her dress.

As soon as she closed the door behind her, her knees gave out and she collapsed onto the floor. Quiet, pathetic sobs escaped her lips as fresh tears began streaming down her face. Everything was going wrong. Clint hated her; the rest of the team was still completely oblivious to what was going on; they were leaving for Paris tomorrow and they _still_ didn't have a plan. What if things kept going the way they were? What if they got to the party and Varkov caught them off guard because he already knew what they were up to? Natasha knew what he would do. He would kill Mara, Clint, maybe even one of the other Avengers. But most of all, he would kill her. That was something she was sure of. Natasha sighed and thought that of all the most dangerous missions she had ever gone on, this was the first one in which failure and death was the most probable outcome.

**Steve**

"You two," Tony said as he turned to look at Thor and Steve who were looking around completely clueless. "Don't. Touch. Anything." Steve put his hands up and backed into a corner, far away from the expensive equipment that he would surely break if he tried to use it. Thor followed suit, and soon Tony and Bruce were using one of the many high-tech computers to track down the address of the party. As they worked, they talked back and forth in a weird science language that neither Steve nor Thor understood.

"What are they speaking of?" The thunder god whispered to Steve.

"Hell if I knew." He replied with a shrug. Tony glanced in their direction.

"You two have any idea what's going on with Clint and Natasha?" He asked them. Thor and Steve shook their heads.

"No idea. Whatever it is, it must be pretty bad. I've never seen them so pissed, especially at each other." Steve said as he remembered how livid the assassins had been.

"Something must have gone wrong between them. They used to be quite close." Thor pondered.

"Well, whatever it was, I'd guess it happened a while ago. If you looked closely enough you could see the tension between them. They obviously weren't as comfortable with each other as they used to be." Steve said. Tony stared at him as his eyes went wide with sudden realization. "What?"

"Bruce!" Tony turned to look at the doctor who was obviously uncomfortable with the topic of the conversation. "You know something!" Thor and Steve looked at Bruce in disbelief. If he knew something, why hadn't he said so?

"Tony, leave it alone. I don't even know the whole story, and even if I did, there is no way in Hell I'd tell you." Bruce said in a stern tone. Tony placed a hand over his arc reactor pretending to be offended.

"Well that's hurtful." The billionaire gave a fake sniffle. "I thought you trusted me!" Bruce rolled his eyes and turned back to his monitor.

"Drama queen." He mumbled.

"Bruce, why can't you just tell us?" Steve asked.

"It's not for me to tell. Plus, I'm not even sure if Clint and Natasha were even arguing about that." The doctor replied reasonably.

"Well, if you're not going to say anything, then how the hell are we going to find out what's going on?" Tony asked seriously.

"Perhaps someone should go speak to one of them?" Thor suggested. All eyes immediately flew to Steve. Shit.

"Don't look at me!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. "There's no way I'm having a heart-to-heart with and angry assassin!"

"Well, if either of them are going to talk to anyone, it'd most likely be you." Tony said pointedly.

"Yeah? Why's that?" Steve questioned, crossing his arms.

"Because Thor is clueless when it comes to talking to people, Bruce isn't exactly a people person, and, let's face it, both of them would sooner kill me than have a heartfelt conversation with me." Tony shot back. Steve gave an irritated sigh. He was right.

"Okay, fine. I'll go." Tony gave a small fist pump as Steve headed for the door.

"Oh, and might I recommend talking to Clint? He's slightly more tolerant!" Tony called after him. He was probably right about that too.

"Why do I always get stuck doing team therapy?" Steve wondered aloud as he stepped onto the elevator. He rode up to Natasha's floor thinking about what he was going to say. Clint hadn't always been the easiest person to talk to and Steve wasn't exactly Dr. Phil. He had always been the voice of reason, but this wasn't exactly a reasoning situation. This was personal.

The ding of the elevator caused Steve to jump. The doors opened and he stepped out into the now empty living area. He walked quietly towards the window and peeked outside to see Clint leaning against the rail of the balcony. Taking a deep breath, Steve headed for the door and opened it, stepping out into the chilled evening. Clint glanced over his shoulder when he heard the noise of the door closing.

"Clint." Steve called over the sound of the wind.

"Leave me alone." He replied without turning around.

"Aren't you cold? It's freezing out here." Steve said as he leaned against the rail next to Clint.

"I don't want to talk right now." The archer said coldly. Steve nodded.

"Alright, I respect that." He said. "I'll just hang here till you're ready." Clint gave an irritated sigh and turned to look the captain in the eye.

"What do you want?" He huffed.

"I wanna know what you and Natasha were arguing about." Steve said. Clint laughed dryly.

"Yep, that's what I figured."

"What do you mean?" Steve searched his face for answers but found nothing.

"She didn't tell you?" Clint said in false surprise.

"Tell us what?" The archer lowered his head.

"Mara." He said. Steve raised an eyebrow.

"What about her?" He asked.

"Do you know who her father is?" Clint asked. Steve shook his head.

"No. She never said anything to me." He said slowly.

"Yeah, well she never said anything to me either." Clint shoved off the rail and began walking towards the other end of the balcony and Steve followed him.

"Well, that isn't exactly our business. So, what's the big deal?" He called after him. Clint turned to face him.

"The big deal is that it _is_ my business and I'm just now finding out about it!" He said angrily. Steve froze as he began putting the pieces together.

"What are you saying?" He asked.

"I'm saying…" Clint's voice broke and he ran his hand through his hair. "I'm saying that Mara is my daughter." He kicked one of the chairs that had been placed in the corner of the balcony in frustration. Steve wasn't exactly sure how to respond to what Clint had just told him, so he just stood there processing it.

"Wow." Was all he could manage once he was able to speak again.

"Are you satisfied? Will you leave me alone now?" Clint yelled. Steve had obviously pushed his buttons so he backed away towards the door, preparing to leave. Clint returned to the rail, leaning up against it again. Before he reentered the tower, Steve looked back over his shoulder at the distraught archer.

"You should talk to her. Clear things up before we leave tomorrow." He told him. When Clint didn't respond Steve sighed and opened the door, walking back inside and out of the cold. He was pretty sure Clint wouldn't take his advice, so there was no use pushing him.

When he returned to the lab, Tony, Bruce, and Thor were all looking over what looked like a floor plan. They looked up when they heard Steve enter.

"Steve! You have returned." Thor boomed. Tony was jumped up and practically ran over to him.

"What'd he say? What'd he say?" He asked excitedly. Steve sighed and took a seat on one of the stools at the table they were all surrounding. He looked around at his fellow Avengers. They were all staring at him in anticipation. Might as well just cut to the chase.

"Clint is Mara's father." He said simply, still not believing the words that had just come out of his mouth. Tony's smile vanished. Silence fell over the group and soon all they could hear was the beeping of the various machines that filled the room. No one, not even Tony, knew what to say. That was definitely a first.

**Natasha**

Natasha opened her eyes to find herself in complete darkness. The only light she had was the bluish glow emanating from her alarm clock. She must have accidentally fallen asleep. When she checked the time she gasped. It was 3:00 AM. It had only been 8:00 when she'd changed into sweatpants and a T-shirt and settled into her bed to wait for the information the guys were supposed to bring her. Natasha quickly climbed out of bed and grabbed her jacket. She slid into it and zipped it halfway before leaving her room and walking out into the living area.

The room was dark except for the faint glow of a dim light shining inside from the balcony. That's when Natasha noticed someone standing outside with their back facing the window. Clint. Had he been standing out there ever since their argument? She walked over to the door and was greeted by a freezing gust of air when she opened it. Chills ran up her spine as she stepped outside.

"Clint, what are you doing out here? It's 3:00 AM." Natasha called over the wind. He didn't even acknowledge her presence. "It's freezing out here! You're going to get yourself sick!" She said as she took in his short-sleeved T-shirt and goose-bumps. "Please come inside."

"I'm fine out here." He finally responded. Natasha sighed and joined him by the rail.

"Look," She said after a few minutes of silence. "I know you're upset…" She was cut off by Clint's bitter, sarcastic laugh.

"Upset? I'm far past upset, Natasha." He said angrily. Her eyes narrowed.

"Okay, I know you're _furious_," She corrected herself, "but we need to talk this through. Like adults." Clint laughed again. "What?" She huffed.

"Oh, nothing. It's just, you said we should be acting like adults here, except you've been doing the exact opposite the entire time I've been here." He laughed once more and Natasha's hand twitched, yearning to slap him again.

"What are you talking about?" She asked irritably.

"Well, last time I checked, adults don't run around keeping huge secrets like who the father of their child is." He said matter-of-factly. She sighed.

"I'm not here to fight with you. I just thought maybe you'd want to talk things through."

"Okay. Let's talk." Clint said with a nod and turned to face her. "Tell me, Natasha, why did you never tell me I have a kid?" She looked down at her hands.

"I tried."

"Really?" He scoffed. "When?"

"About two months after I left." Natasha replied quietly. Clint narrowed his eyes.

"That's funny. I don't seem to remember this. Would you mind refreshing my memory?" He asked. She sighed again and looked up to stare out over the city.

"I'd found out I was pregnant a month before. At first I'd tried to get an abortion, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it." Natasha said shakily. Clint looked at her with curiosity.

"Why not? You always said you never wanted kids. What changed your mind?" He asked.

"I don't know." She said with a shrug. "I guess it was because it was _ours_. It was _our_ baby. Something about it just felt right." Clint fell silent as Natasha continued to talk. "Anyways, after I decided to keep it, I went looking for you. I called your cell, your apartment… I even went to see you. But, I was too late. You'd already moved, changed your numbers. After two weeks of searching, I just gave up." She looked down again. "And then, a few weeks later, I saw you. You were sitting outside a little café a few blocks from Times Square. I couldn't believe my luck. I'd started crossing the street when I saw a woman come and sit with you." Natasha paused.

"So?" He asked.

"So, you were moving on, Clint. You were trying to get on with your life after what happened with us, and telling you I was going to have your baby would have just held you back. There was no way I could do that to you. That's when I decided that it'd be better if you never found out." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye waiting for his reaction.

"That wasn't your call." Clint said in a calm, yet angry, voice.

"I know that now, and I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Natasha's voice cracked and she quickly wiped away the tears that had formed in her eyes. She took a deep, calming breath before she spoke again. "I know this isn't going to be easy, but I need to ask you to put all your personal feelings about this aside until we get back from Paris with Mara." She told him. "Tomorrow, Tony and Bruce should have all the information I need, so all I'll have to do is make my plan and…"

"Whoa, wait. You're plan?" Clint asked, cutting her off. She nodded.

"Yeah, we're going to need a plan if we want to get through this without anyone dying." Natasha said sarcastically.

"Oh, I know. It's just that you're going to need to include me in whatever decisions you make about this plan." He told her. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Excuse me?"

"Think about it like this: It's no longer just your plan, just like Mara is no longer just your daughter. You may have raised her since she was born, but that doesn't mean you get the final say in how we get her back. You're going to include me in the planning process. We both have to agree on everything or else we come up with an entirely new plan. Understood?" Clint stared at Natasha intently.

"Yeah, sure." She said sarcastically. "This is gonna go great." He nodded and shoved off the rail, heading for the door. "Clint." Natasha called before he went inside. "Just don't forget that she's still my daughter too." Without responding Clint opened the door and went inside. She put her head in her hands and just sat there for a few minutes, dreading the events that were sure to come in the morning.

**So, how'd you guys like it? It's the best I could come up with at 2:00 in the morning. I drank an entire cup of coffee before bed (not the brightest idea), so I started typing and before I knew it I'd finished the chapter! Tell me what you thought of Clint's reaction as well as how the rest of the team found out! I LIVE FOR REVIEWS! You guys are always so nice to me! This is my first successful story ever and I really appreciate your feedback! Favorites and follows are appreciated as well! Next chapter we'll get into the location of the party, the plan, and the departure for Paris! Then the action begins… Well, I probably need to get some sleep now since I need to wake up in four hours, so until next time, BYE! PS. I 3 you all! **


	10. The Plan

**Sooo, you guys are probably wondering where I've been, right (or you really just don't care and want to get to the story, which I totally understand)? Naturally, I've got another lame excuse to get myself out of trouble! My English II teacher thought it would be cool to give us a research paper to finish over Thanksgiving break. I'm still really pissed about it. Who does that? I was sitting at my grandma's house after Thanksgiving lunch (yea, we do lunch instead of dinner cuz we're awesome!) writing a goddamn paper on the Indian-Chinese Border War of 1962! Ugh. High school. Well, that's enough of my crappy life, let's get to Natasha's crappy life! Her's is much more interesting than mine, I guarantee it! Oh, and since Thanksgiving was this past week, I'd like to say that I'm thankful for all my awesome fans and followers out there who have reviewed and favorited this story! You guys are the best and I love you all! Enjoy chapter 10! ****PS: When dialogue is written in **_**italics**_**, it means Natasha and Clint are doing their whole eye conversation thingy.**

**Chapter 10: The Plan**

**Natasha**

When Natasha opened her eyes there was a faint light coming through her window. She checked her alarm clock to see that it read 6:30 AM. She sat up and stretched before climbing out of bed and heading to the bathroom. Last night she had decided to pack her bag early so she could spend the rest of the day planning for tomorrow.

Natasha packed her dress first. She placed a protective cover over it and hung it on the door while she continued gathering other things she would need. Once she'd gathered enough items to fill her duffel bag, she placed it by the door with her dress and exited the bathroom. Natasha wandered into the kitchen on her floor and decided to make some coffee. By then it was almost 7:30.

"Hey, J.A.R.V.I.S.?" She called out as the coffee started to brew.

"Yes, Ms. Romanoff. How may I be of assistance?" The AI replied politely.

"Is anyone else awake yet?" Natasha asked.

"Yes, Mr. Barton is in the kitchen of the top floor. Everyone else is asleep. Would you like me to wake them?"

"Yes, please do. Tell them to meet upstairs. We've got a lot of work to do." She said with a smirk, imagining how Tony would react to a wake-up call he didn't want from the artificial intelligence he'd created.

"As you wish." And with that, the British accented voice disappeared. Natasha poured herself a cup of freshly brewed coffee before getting in the elevator and pressing the button for the top floor. When the elevator dinged she stepped out and headed for the kitchen. She may as well get the awkward confrontation with Clint out of the way before the others get here.

When Natasha entered the kitchen she saw him sitting at the table with his laptop and a bowl of Cheerios. She sat down in the chair next to him and sipped one her coffee.

"Good morning." She greeted him quietly.

""Morning." He said with a quick nod in her direction. Well, at least they were on speaking terms.

"So, uh… Stark should be up here with the floor plan soon." Natasha said, trying to keep a conversation going. Clint closed his laptop and turned all his attention to her.

"Okay, great. How do you want to do this?" He asked. She paused, appreciating how cooperative he was being. After what had gone down last night, she had expected him to be a little more ornery. He must have worked things out with himself so they wouldn't be fighting during the whole planning process.

"Well, I guess we just do things like we would if we were planning a mission for S.H.I.E.L.D.. We both input our ideas and come to an agreement on what would be best." She said simply.

"Okay, sounds good." Clint said agreeably. After that they lapsed back into an awkward silence. Natasha quietly sipped on her coffee while Clint sat staring out the window. Finally he sighed and turned his gaze to her as she set her mug down on the table. "I'm sorry." He said quietly. She looked at him, confused.

"Sorry for what? I should be the one that's..." Clint raised a hand to cut her off.

"Last night, the way I acted. It wasn't fair to you. I should have let you explain yourself before I freaked out like that. So, for that, I'm sorry." He raised his hand again when Natasha opened her mouth to protest. "Don't argue with me. Just leave it at that." She slowly closed her mouth and nodded, not wanting to ruin his cooperative mood.

"Clint," Natasha said after another short silence. He turned and looked at her curiously. "I'm sorry I slapped you." She said, trying to keep herself from smiling. Clint grinned and laughed.

"It's okay." He chuckled. They smiled at each other when the ding of the elevator caught their attention.

"Ugh, Romanoff! I swear to God, if you _ever_ tell J.A.R.V.I.S. to wake me up again, I will reprogram him so that he never listens to you!" Tony groaned tiredly as he and three other exhausted looking Avengers filed out of the elevator and into the kitchen. Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Oh, grow up, Stark." She muttered. Clint looked down as he tried to hide his smirk. A period of awkward silence followed the brief conversation and Natasha glanced at her fellow teammates to see them uncomfortably glancing back and forth between the two ex-assassins. She tensed and looked at Clint accusingly.

_"Did you tell them?" _Her eyes obviously questioned him. He looked down guiltily.

_"I only told Steve," _Clint told her with a quick glance at the captain. _"I'm guessing he told everyone else."_ Natasha gave an irritated huff. _"They have a right to know."_

_"I know," _She softened her hard gaze. _"I just didn't want everyone to find out like that."_ Clint's eyes were full of understanding.

_"Sorry."_ He lowered his eyes again and she looked at him angrily.

_"Stop that! You have nothing to be sorry for!" _Her eyes screamed. Clint sighed and glanced at the rest of the team, reminding Natasha that they weren't the only two people in the room. He looked back at her, his eyes questioning what they should do. _"I've got this."_ She told him as she cleared her throat, catching everyone's attention.

"Okay, so you all obviously know that Clint is Mara's father. I should have told you as soon as I came to you all for help, but I didn't and I'm sorry." Natasha looked at each of her teammates apologetically. "I understand if you don't want to help anymore."

"What!?" Tony exclaimed. "What makes you think we don't want to help? If anything we want to help more! Not only is Mara your daughter but she's Clint's daughter too. That makes her a full on Avengers family member, and family takes care of family. We're still in this." Everyone nodded in agreement. Natasha smiled at them gratefully.

"Well alright then. Let's get to work." The four standing Avengers all took a seat around the large kitchen table. "Tony, do you have the floor plan?" She asked. Tony nodded and pulled out a large, rolled up piece of paper. Natasha spread it out across the table and she and Clint stood up to get a better look at it.

From what she could see, the building was large. There were multiple balconies overlooking a huge ballroom, making it ideal for snipers. Other than that, though, there didn't appear to be anything else that would give Varkov an advantage.

"Stark, what all do you know about the building?" Natasha asked without even looking up.

"Well, it's a pretty straight-forward layout. The ballroom is the main room in the building. There are three back rooms used for storage, four bathrooms, and a kitchen. Six stairwells to get from the first floor to the balconies, and three exits: one in the kitchen, the main entrance, and a door in one of the back rooms. That's pretty much it." Said Tony.

"He'll most definitely have snipers here, here, and here." Clint said, pointing to the three main balconies. "They'll probably be guarding the stairwells to keep people from going upstairs, so someone is going to have to get past security and take out the snipers as discreetly as possible." Natasha looked at Steve who was intently listening to what Clint was saying.

"Steve," she said. "You have military training and you're pretty stealthy. You think you could handle it?" The captain nodded.

"Absolutely, just tell me what I need to do." He said obediently.

"Well, you're not going to want to draw any attention to yourself." Clint said as he turned to look at Natasha. "What do you think, Natasha, tranq-gun?" She thought for a moment before shaking her head.

"These guys will probably have radios, so if they're tranquilized they'll have a few moments to try and contact someone. It's too big of a risk." Clint nodded in agreement.

"Right… How about a high powered long range tazer gun?" He suggested. " The electricity will paralyze them, knock them out, maybe even short out the radio."

"Yea, that sounds perfect." Natasha said enthusiastically before turning to Steve. "You know how to work a tazer gun?"

"Yea, I've used one before." He said with a nod.

"Great, that'll simplify things. Now, to actually get you upstairs." She glanced around the table before settling her gaze on Tony, who was sitting there looking bored. "Tony!" She said loudly, causing the billionaire to jump. "Pay attention." He nodded rigorously. "You're going to be the big distraction at this party, so it'll be your job to ensure that the security isn't paying attention while Steve goes upstairs."

"Alright, got it… How exactly do I do that?" Tony asked. Natasha pinched the bridge of her nose while Clint rolled his eyes.

"You're world renowned billionaire, Stark, use your imagination." She huffed. Tony nodded and turned away from her cold glare. "Okay, moving on. Thor, you're going to be the muscle in all this, so if this comes down to a fight, that's when you'll step in. Got it?" The thunder god nodded and grinned.

"I shall do whatever is needed of me." He boomed.

"Okay, that leaves Bruce." Clint said, nodding to the doctor.

"Bruce, you'll be on standby in case of any medical emergencies. All you really need to do is hang out at the party until or if you're needed. So, you may want to pack a first-aid kit." Natasha told him. Bruce nodded.

"Kay, got it."

"So, what do we do?" Clint asked, realizing they were the only two without a 'job'.

"Our job is simple. We'll show up at the party together and confront Varkov. He'll think I'm there to renegotiate the terms of our deal and that you're helping me take out the men he wants dead. We'll play him up until he tells us where Mara is. Thor and Steve will be listening to the conversation through the comm. links, so when he gives up her location, they can move in, take out whatever security is guarding her, then get her out of there." When she finished describing her plan Clint gave her a questioning look.

"What if he insists on taking us to Mara and we can't get a location out of him?" He asked.

"Then we'll just take Steve and Thor's place and get her ourselves." Natasha replied simply. "Does my plan have your approval?" She asked him, remembering what he had told her the night before about having to agree on the plan. Clint thought for a moment before giving a small nod.

"Yea, it's solid. Straightforward. I like it." He gave her a quick smile before becoming serious once again. "I just have one question." Natasha raised an eyebrow, signaling for him to continue. "What happens to Varkov?" Her face went stern.

"We do the exact thing we should have done on that mission six years ago. We kill him."

**Clint**

Clint grabbed a bag from the closet in his room and began stuffing it full of necessities for the trip ahead. As he rummaged through his bathroom for toiletries he suddenly realized that he'd left his suit in Natasha's room last night. As he was heading for the door three knocks occurred from the opposite side. Clint opened the door to see Natasha standing there holding his suit.

"You left this in my room last night." She said, handing it to him.

"Yea, I was just coming to get it, actually. Thanks." As he took the suit from her he couldn't help but notice her hands shaking slightly.

"I fitted all the sheathes and holsters in it for you. They shouldn't be visible, but if they are I can make adjustments." She said quickly. "I was about to go down to the shooting range and pick out the guns and knives I'm going to take, if you want to come."

"Um, yea, sure." He said as he placed his suit on the chair next to the door.

"Okay, let's go." Natasha turned and began walking down the hall.

"Natasha, wait." Clint called after her. He ran up behind her and grabbed her shoulder, turning her to face him. "Are you alright?" He asked, looking her in the eyes. She took a deep, shaky breath and began nodding rigorously.

"Yea, I'm fine." She said unconvincingly. He shook his head.

"No, you're not." Natasha stood there for a moment, just staring at him, when suddenly her chin began to tremble slightly and two tears silently slid down her cheeks. "Hey, hey, hey, it's okay." Clint tried to soothe her but she only began to cry harder. He pulled her into his arms and she buried her face into his chest, trying to muffle her loud sobs. "Shhhh, it's okay, Natasha, everything's going to be fine." He said as he stroked her hair.

"You can't be sure of that." She sniffled once she'd calmed down a bit, pushing away from him. "Clint, what if I screw this up? I can't keep it together much longer, I'm not as strong as I used to be." Fresh tears began to spill out of her eyes and Clint grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look him in the eyes.

"Natasha Romanoff, you are the strongest person I have ever met, and I know if _anyone_ can pull this off, it's you. You never doubted yourself before and things always worked out in the end, so don't doubt yourself now, and I guarantee everything will be just fine." He said sternly, meaning every word of it. She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Okay." Natasha whispered. Clint smiled at her and released his grip on her shoulders.

"Alright then. Let's go get some guns."

**Tony**

**A few hours later…**

"C'mon, guys! We need to leave in the next thirty minutes if we want to make it to Paris by 7:00!" Tony shouted down the hall of Thor and Steve's floor. Suddenly, both their doors opened on opposite sides of the hall, and the two muscular Avengers rushed down the hall and hopped into the elevator with Tony.

"Where's everyone else?" Steve asked as Tony pressed the button for the garage.

"Downstairs waiting. You two took too long so they went to put their stuff in the car." He told them. When they reached the parking garage below Stark Tower Steve and Thor rushed off towards one of the two sports cars they were taking to the airport. Clint and Natasha were standing by the car they'd put their bags in and were talking to Pepper. The strawberry blonde turned when she heard the sound of the elevator and immediately broke off her conversation when she saw Tony. She ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him close.

"Now don't you go and get yourself killed. I will _not _be raising our son on my own." She warned. Tony pulled away from her and cupped her face in his hands.

"Don't worry, we'll be back in two days." He said softly, pulling her towards him and kissing her gently.

"Stark, we need to go!" Natasha called to him as she climbed into the back seat of their car. Tony sighed and leaned over to kiss Pepper's belly.

"Be good to your mama." He whispered to the large bulge. Pepper smiled and shoved him off towards the car.

"You better get going." She called after him.

"I'll call you." Tony told her before climbing into the driver's seat of Clint and Natasha's car. He buckled his seatbelt and started the engine before backing out of the space he was parked in and driving out of the garage. Bruce followed closely behind him as they pulled into the busy Manhattan streets and headed in the direction of the airport.

"How long is a flight to Paris?" Natasha asked Tony from the back seat.

"Seven hours, give or take. Maybe faster since we'll be on a private jet." He said, looking at her through the rearview mirror.

Fifteen minutes later they pulled into the airport parking lot. Tony drove the car around to the back of the airport and pulled into a private garage that had room for at least six cars. Bruce pulled in next to him and everyone climbed out. They all grabbed their bags and Tony led them through a door at the back of the garage. Past the door was a jetway that steadily inclined upward, leading them right onto the plane.

As soon as everyone was on board, Tony went to the cockpit and addressed the pilot.

"We're ready to go when you are." He told the airman, who nodded and began pressing multiple buttons and flipping switches. Tony returned to the rest of the team as they began to get settled in for the long flight. "Where's Natasha?" He wondered out loud when he noticed the redhead was missing.

"Tony!" A voice called from the back of the plane. The billionaire pulled back the curtain that was separating the two halves of the plane to find Natasha standing in the middle of the makeshift infirmary he'd had set up. "What the hell is this?" She asked him, gesturing to the medical supplies that surrounded her.

"What's it look like?" Tony said obviously. By then the rest of the team had come up behind him and were observing the infirmary.

"This is a little extreme, Stark." Clint spoke up. Tony opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Natasha's sudden intake of breath.

"Oh my God, are these blood bags?" She asked as he turned back around to see her staring into the refrigerated box containing the multiple bags of blood. Everyone stared at Tony with wide eyes.

"Dude, why are you bringing blood?" Steve asked confusedly.

"It's like you're willing something to go wrong." Natasha chimed in. Tony threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

"Jesus Christ, people, it's just a precaution!" He exclaimed.

"Still, it's a bit much." Clint criticized. Tony snorted and turned around, walking through the curtain back towards the front of the plane.

"You'll thank me when one of you is dying from blood loss." He muttered as he took a seat in one of the comfortable leather chairs.

"Attention all passengers, please take your seats. We will be taking off in three minutes." The pilot came on over the intercom, signaling the rest of the team to make their way back to their seats. Tony checked his watch to find that it was almost midnight. They were leaving right on schedule. As soon as everyone had sat down and strapped themselves in, the plane took off.

"It'd probably be wise for us all to get some sleep." Natasha announced once they were safely in the air. "We'll need to be well rested for tomorrow." The rest of the Avengers mumbled in agreement, and, one by one, they drifted to sleep as the plane flew towards Paris.

**So, nothing too eventful happening here. Mainly just plot development. I got a lot of complaints about how Clint overreacted when he heard the news about Mara, so I decided to patch things up between him and Natasha… AGAIN! Good lord, it seems all they're doing is fighting then apologizing for it! Anyways, tell me what you thought of this chapter! I 3 reviews! Again, I'm sorry for the delay! I received quite a few PM's complaining that I hadn't updated in a while so I warmed up the coffee machine and finished this for you guys! Now, I am in high school, which means I have homework. A lot of it. So if I don't update for a while, please don't be angry! I probably just have a lot of crap to do, so please be patient with me! I do my best to update every week! **

**Preview for Chapter 11: The Avengers attend Varkov's party to "renegotiate" the terms of his and Natasha's agreement. Let's just say things don't go quite according to plan…**

**Well, there you have it folks! Thanks for reading, and make sure you come back for the next installment, cuz the real action is about to begin! Until next time, see ya :)**


	11. Bushwhacked

**Oh gosh, I am SOOOOOOO SORRRY! You guys had to wait super long for this chapter, and I just wanted to apologize for that. Had a bit of a mishap at horseback riding the other day where my horse threw me off and my hand got super swollen, so I haven't been able to type all week! It's been killing me! I wrote this as soon as I could, and here it is! Hope it's good enough to make up for the delay. We finally get to see some action in this story! This chapter should get the ball rolling for the final chapters! I plan on having at least 15 chapters, plus an epilogue at the end, so there's still a decent amount of time to pass before this story is done. This chapter and the next one should be the most action packed for all you thrill seekers out there, so I hope you all enjoy them!**

**Chapter 11-Bushwhacked**

**Natasha**

"Natasha, wake up." Clint said, nudging her shoulder gently. Her eyes fluttered open and found him looking at her tiredly. "We're here."

"What time is it?" She asked with a yawn.

"It's three o' clock here. We have four hours till the party." He told her. Natasha stretched before standing up and grabbing her bags from the compartment above her. She looked around and saw the other Avengers doing the same, and soon they were exiting the plane, walking down the jetway and into one of the terminals. They strode through the airport purposefully, and when they reached the main entrance a limo was outside waiting for them.

"Way to be discreet, Stark." Natasha mumbled as she passed Tony and climbed into the cabin. The billionaire rolled his eyes and allowed everyone else to get in before him.

"Don't be so picky, Romanoff." He muttered. Once everyone was in the limo, the driver pulled away from the airport and began swerving through traffic. "I got us a reservation at a hotel right down the road from where the party is being held." Tony told everyone once they were on their way. "We can get ready there, then go to the party."

"Great, how long till we get there?" Natasha asked.

"About twenty minutes." He replied. She nodded and leaned her head against the window, staring out at the passing city. Twenty minutes later the limo came to a stop in front of a fancy looking hotel. The Avengers scrambled out onto the sidewalk, grabbing their bags from the trunk. Tony paid the driver and told him something in French. He nodded and remained parked in front of the hotel. "He's gonna stay here until we're ready to go." Tony told everyone as they walked into the lobby of the hotel. Once they were all inside, Tony got three room keys and began handing them out. "Me and Bruce will share a room." He said, handing one of the keys to Bruce. He then handed the other two keys to Steve and Clint. "You guys can figure out who you wanna room with."

"Me and Thor can room together." Steve said, glancing at Clint and Natasha. "That is, if you two are comfortable sharing." They looked at each other for a moment before nodding slowly.

"Yea, that'll be fine." Natasha said cooperatively.

"Okay then, let's go upstairs." Tony said, gesturing to the elevators. They grabbed their things and headed up. Once they reached their floor, the team went to the room number that was on their keys. Clint and Natasha entered their fancy hotel room and set their bags down.

"Nice." Clint said quietly, glancing around the expensive looking suite. Natasha rolled her eyes.

"Just try not to break anything." She told him as she began unpacking her things. Clint laughed.

"Now when have I ever broken anything in a hotel room?" He asked. She raised an eye brow and turned to look at him.

"Let's see, there was that time in Berlin when you shattered a window, in Rio when you demolished that nightstand, oh, and let's not forget..."

"Okay, okay, I get it." Clint said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "I promise I won't break anything."

"Yea right." Natasha muttered under her breath. She checked the time on the nightstand alarm clock and realized that it was almost five. "Well, I'm gonna go take a shower. Why don't you try out your suit so I can see if I need to make adjustments?"

"Sure." Clint replied as Natasha gathered her dress and toiletries and walked into the bathroom. She locked the door behind her and turned on the water before undressing and flipping the switch for the shower head. Once the shower had been running for a few seconds, Natasha stepped under the stream of steaming water and allowed it to melt away all the built up tension in her muscles. She had to admit that she was a little uneasy about the party tonight. Something just didn't feel right, but she didn't have time to second guess herself. They were leaving in less than two hours, so they would just have to stick to the plan.

Once Natasha had finished showering, she stepped out of the tub and wrapped her long, red hair in a towel while she dried the rest of her body. When she was ready she slid into her dress, zipping the back and looking in the mirror to admire the elegant gown. She'd have to find another place to wear it once all this was over. Natasha shook her head, refocusing her thoughts back on the task at hand. She grabbed her makeup bag off the counter and proceeded to apply various cosmetics to her eyelids, cheeks, and lashes.

As Natasha finished with her face and moved on to her hair, the unmistakable sound of breaking glass could be heard coming from outside the door. She rolled her eyes as Clint cursed loudly, deciding to ignore him for the time being and focus on drying and styling her hair. Once she was done, Natasha stepped back and looked at herself in the mirror, examining her work. She couldn't remember the last time she looked like this. Certainly not since she'd worked for S.H.I.E.L.D.. With a small smile on her lips she exited the bathroom to find Clint struggling with his suit. He turned when he heard her behind him, his mouth falling open as soon as he saw her.

"Uh… Wow." Was all he could manage. "You look great."

"Thank you." Natasha said, blushing slightly. "Need help?"

"Yea, this stupid holster in my right jacket pocket is bulging. It makes me look like I have a man boob." Clint snorted. She giggled and strode over to him to fix the holster. "Um, I called the rest of the guys, told them to get ready. They should be here any second for final confirmations on the plan." He told her as she adjusted his suit.

"Great." Natasha finished with the holster and was about to turn to begin gathering her weapons when she noticed the pile of broken glass that had been shoved into the corner of the room. She immediately shot an accusing glare at her partner. "Clint," she said sternly. "What happened to that vase?" Clint looked down guiltily.

"I broke it." He mumbled. Natasha rolled her eyes, but before she could scold him there was a knock at the door. Clint used the opportunity to get himself out of trouble and immediately rushed over to let everyone in. As soon as the other Avengers entered the room wearing their suits and saw Natasha their eyes went wide.

"Natasha, you look…" Steve trailed off as he searched for the right words.

"Thank you." She smiled, satisfied with her evening attire. "Okay, we've got some last minute things to go over before we leave, so let's get started." Natasha said, pulling everyone's attention back to the plan.

"Okay, right. So first things first, how are we arriving?" Clint asked.

"Tony, Thor, and Steve will arrive first. We're going to need you guys to take out those snipers before we get there. You boys remember your part of the plan?" She raised an eyebrow testily.

"Yea, yea, we got it Romanoff, I've just got one question. Am I supposed to arrive _with_ these two?" Tony said, pointing his thumbs at the most muscular Avengers.

"Yea, sure. Why not." Natasha shrugged before turning to Bruce. "You're going to arrive directly after them. Just another guest at the party."

"But won't that make me seem sort of… gay?" Tony cut in.

"For the love of god, Tony! They can be your body guards or something if that makes you feel better! I don't care, as long as you get your job done." She yelled at the billionaire, who shrank back at her sudden loudness.

"Yea, body guards… that's cool." He said quietly before shutting his mouth and hiding behind Bruce. Natasha rolled her eyes before continuing.

"You and I will arrive after Steve has taken out the snipers." She said turning to Clint. "We'll go in, confront Varkov and so on…"

"Sounds good." He said with a nod. "I'll go get the guns." Clint walked over to one of the beds and grabbed the bag with all their guns and knives in it. He immediately began pulling out various weapons. Some he tucked into his suit, some he tossed to Natasha. Once they both had concealed their weapons, he pulled out three hand-guns and a tazer gun. "Keep these with you, just in case." He said, handing the hand-guns to Tony, Thor, and Bruce. He then gave the tazer gun to Steve. "Here's your tazer. Be careful with that one."

"I've got this." Steve said reassuringly. It comforted Natasha to know he was in charge of this aspect of the 'mission'.

"Alright, last thing." She reached into the bag and pulled out six ear buds, handing them out to the rest of the team before placing one in her ear. "Keep these comm. links in your ears at all times. We all need to be in constant communication. If a line goes dead and you can't physically see that person, then we regroup to make sure everything is okay. If everyone's good, then we'll continue on with the plan."

"And if everyone isn't okay?" Bruce asked.

"Let's cross that bridge if we get there." Natasha said solemnly. "What time is it?"

"6:45." Tony replied. "We should probably go." The Avengers filed out of the room and into the elevator, riding down to the lobby and walking out to the limo that was still waiting for them. They crammed inside and the driver pulled off the curb and into Paris traffic heading for the party building. "So, if there is a mishap with the comm. links, where do you want us to meet?"

"In the back left corner of the ball room. It's out of the way, not very conspicuous. We should be able to congregate there without drawing too much attention to ourselves." Natasha answered. Everyone nodded, falling into a serious silence. She could tell they were focused, which was good because they'd need to be.

"We're almost there." Tony said, grabbing everyone's attention. Natasha looked out the window as the limo pulled up to a large, fancy looking building. She took a deep breath as they came to a stop across the street and Tony, Steve, Thor, and Bruce all climbed out.

"I'll let you know when you're clear to come in." Steve said sticking his head back into the car.

"Thanks, Steve. Do a comm. check when you get inside so we know everything is functioning properly." She told him. He nodded and joined the others as they cautiously crossed the busy street. Natasha peeked out the window and watched them as they got in line with the rest of the well dressed guests to get inside.

"Are you ready for this?" Clint asked after a few minutes of silence.

"I have to be." She answered without turning around.

"But, are you?" He pressed on. Natasha slowly turned to look at him. Was she ready for this? After so long? She contemplated her answer for a few moments before giving a quick nod. "Alright then." Clint reached out and gave her shoulder a squeeze. Natasha accepted the comforting gesture as she turned back to look out the window and saw that the others were already inside.

"Natasha, Clint, can you hear me?" Steve's voice suddenly came over the comm. link.

"Yea, Steve. We hear you loud and clear." Clint replied.

"We're in. There's no guest list, so you guys won't have to worry about that. We'll get our jobs done, then let you know when you're clear." Steve said back.

"Thanks, Steve. And good luck." Natasha told him.

"Any time." He answered.

**Steve**

Steve walked through the crowd, being sure to stay close to Tony and Thor. Bruce wandered off towards the bar area to be on standby. Steve leaned over to Tony when the crowd began to thin.

"What's the plan?" He asked the billionaire. Tony narrowed his eyes and glanced around the room.

"Well, from what I can see, all the stairwells are guarded, just like we predicted. How about you use… that one." He pointed to the stairwell where the crowd was thinnest. "Me and Thor will distract security while you get upstairs."

"Sounds good. Let's go." Steve said. The three men advanced towards the stairwell. Tony grabbed a drink off the tray a server was carrying around. "Hey, you know what Natasha said. No drinking!" Steve warned.

"Chill Cap, I'm not gonna drink it. How about you worry about your part and I worry about mine, okay?" They continued walking towards the stairwell, and when they were almost there, Tony leaned back towards Steve and Thor. "Laugh at the joke." He said quietly. The other two Avengers glanced at each other, confused. "And then I told her, I don't care what you say, you only want me for my money!" Tony suddenly exclaimed before bursting with false laughter. Steve and Thor caught on immediately, and began chuckling at the fake joke. Tony, who had been turned around telling them his 'joke' suddenly bumped into the security guard of the stairwell they had been aiming for, spilling his drink all over him.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" The angry Russian yelled as he began removing his jacket to shake it out.

"Oh, I am so sorry sir. I was just telling my friends here this great story, and I guess I wasn't paying attention." Tony smiled and held out his hand for the man to shake. "No hard feelings?" The Russian turned to shake hands when sudden realization appeared on his face.

"Hey, you are Tony Stark, no?" He said, surprised. Tony held up his hands.

"Guilty." He chuckled, making a gesture behind his back to tell Steve to sneak past while the guard was distracted. He silently walked behind the Russian and up the stairwell while Tony continued to entertain him. As soon as he reached the top of the stairs, Steve talked into his comm. link.

"Natasha, you there?" He called.

"Yea, I hear you Steve. Go ahead." She replied.

"I made it upstairs and should have everything wrapped up in the next fifteen minutes. Just thought I'd give you a heads up." He told her.

"Great, thanks." Natasha answered before the line went quiet. Steve glanced around the balcony area he had just walked into and began to search for the snipers Clint and Natasha had sworn would be there. Sure enough, Steve found a man in a black suit lying on his stomach with a gun pointed at the door as soon as he rounded a corner. Hiding behind the corner of the wall, he pulled the tazer gun out of his jacket pocket and charged it up. As soon as it was ready, Steve peeked around the corner of the wall and aimed his gun at the sniper's back. Once he was sure he had the shot, he fired the electrical charge, causing the man to drop his gun and convulse erratically. Steve wasted no time. He ran over to the man, kicked his gun away, turned off his radio, and promptly tied him up away from the edge of the balcony.

"Well, that's one." He sighed, content with his work. He headed towards the next two balconies the other snipers were positioned at and repeated the same process twice more. Once the last sniper had been tied, Steve called Natasha again. "All the snipers have been disabled. You guys are clear."

"Excellent. We'll be right in. Hey, Bruce?" Natasha called into the comm. link.

"Yes?" The doctor answered quietly.

"Have a look around, tell me if you see Varkov anywhere." She ordered. "I want to be able to see him immediately."

"You got it." Bruce replied. Steve made his way back downstairs and slipped past the guard who was still talking to Tony.

"Did you disable those men?" Thor asked quietly once Steve rejoined him.

"It's done." He whispered back. "Now we just wait for Clint and Natasha to make their move."

**Clint**

"Let's move." Natasha said as soon as Steve gave them the green light. She climbed out of the limo and Clint swiftly followed her as she began crossing the street. Once he caught up to her, Natasha grabbed his arm and linked it with hers. "We're supposed to be arriving together." She reminded him as they got in line. After five minutes of waiting they reached the building's entrance. A tall man was standing by the door letting people in. As soon as Clint and Natasha walked up, he let them pass, whispering something into his earpiece.

"Maybe we won't have to find him after all." Clint said quietly as they walked inside.

"Guys, I see him." Bruce said into the comm. link. Clint felt Natasha tense next to him.

"Where is he?" She said emotionlessly.

"Towards the back, but he's making his way to you guys. It looks like he may know you're here." Bruce replied. Before Natasha could answer him, Varkov suddenly appeared from the midst of the crowd. She stopped walking as soon as she saw him, halting Clint as well. He gave her arm a small squeeze as their child's kidnapper approached them. A few moments later, Clint and Natasha were face to face with Varkov.

"Hello Natalia." He said with a disturbing smile. Natasha's only response was a stone-cold glare. "I wasn't sure if you would come tonight," the Russian continued, "but here you are. And you even brought your, uh… _friend_." He smirked and nodded his head towards Clint, who stiffened in response. "So good to see two parents reunited. I assume you're here to meet your daughter?" Varkov implied.

"You said in your note that I could see her, now where is she?" Natasha demanded. The Russian chuckled and leaned in closer.

"So eager to get down to business, as usual. You haven't changed much. This is hardly the place to talk about such things, perhaps we should take this conversation to the back room." Varkov said, gesturing to the door that led to the back of the building.

"We're not going anywhere until you tell us where she is." Clint said angrily. Varkov narrowed his eyes.

"She's just in the back. Down the hall, last door on the left." He told them in defeat. Natasha glanced over to where Steve and Thor were observing their conversation and saw them nod before moving towards the door and inconspicuously going inside. "I'll take you back to see her, then we can begin negotiations. How does that sound?" The Russian asked.

"Fine." Natasha agreed as Varkov turned and began guiding them through the crowd towards the door. A sudden twisted feeling in Clint's stomach caused him to squeeze Natasha's arm tightly.

"Natasha, I don't feel good about this." He whispered anxiously.

"You think I do?" She said nervously. "Look, he's holding all the cards right now. We do what he says until Steve and Thor tell us they have Mara, then we kill him. Got it?" Clint nodded as they came to a stop in front of the door that led to the back. Varkov opened it, allowing them to go in before him. Clint glanced down the hall to make sure Steve and Thor had already gotten in. When he didn't see them he relaxed slightly. Varkov rejoined them after closing the door and led them to the first room on the right.

"I thought you said she was in the last door on the left?" Natasha accused.

"She is. We'll talk in here, and I'll have one of my men bring your daughter in." The Russian said convincingly, but Clint didn't buy it. His entire self was screaming at him that something wasn't right.

"Natasha." He said warningly.

"Relax, Clint. We stick to the plan. I'm not leaving this party without my daughter." She growled dangerously. Varkov unlocked the door and, once again, allowed them to enter before him. Natasha dragged Clint inside.

"We need to get out of here." He whispered in a final attempt to make her realize that the entire situation was horribly wrong. She looked at him, finally seeing the worry in his eyes, but it was too late.

"Clint, Natasha, she's not here." Steve said frantically over the comm. link. Natasha glanced over at Varkov, who was still closing the door, before turning away from him.

"What do you mean she's not there?" She whispered through clenched teeth.

"We've looked everywhere. She's just not here." He replied. She spun around angrily and glared at Varkov, who was now looking at them with narrowed eyes. "Well, where is she?" Natasha fumed.

"I'm sorry." He said maliciously. "But I'm afraid there's been a change in plans."

"Shit." Clint cursed under his breath. Out of nowhere, two men came up behind them and shoved them to the ground. "What the hell?" He exclaimed. They hadn't been there a second ago. Where had they come from? Clint had been looking straight at the door the entire time and no one had come in. Before he had another second to try and figure out what had happened, one of the men slammed Natasha's head into the ground knocking her unconscious. "Natasha!" He exclaimed as the second man prepared to do the same to him.

"Guys! What's going on?" Tony yelled over the comm. link. Clint tried to answer, but the man behind him smacked his head onto the floor with such force that he saw stars.

"Take them below." Varkov said with a sneer. Clint reached out to try and grab Natasha's hand before she was lifted off the floor and carried away. When the man that had hit his head realized he was still conscious, he hit him again, harder this time. Clint felt someone grab him by his arms and drag him towards the back of the room before slipping into unconsciousness.

**Tony**

"Clint, Natasha, are you two okay?" Tony said as clearly as he could, but he was only met by silence.

"Tony, what should we do?" Bruce asked through the comm. link.

"Move in." Tony responded. They both rushed to the door that led to the back hall and went into the first open door they saw. When they walked in, Steve and Thor were already there. "Where are they?" Tony yelled at his 'body guards'.

"They're gone." Steve said dumbfounded.

"What do you mean they're gone? Weren't they just here a second ago?" Tony exclaimed.

"They were. It doesn't make any sense! We watched the door the whole time after they went in. No one came in, no one came out. When their lines went dead we ran in and they were just gone!" Steve began to pace, searching the room for any sign that their teammates had been there.

"Tony," Bruce said from behind him. "What's going on?" Tony sighed, turning to his fellow Avengers. They looked at him expectantly, confusion evident in their eyes.

"Gentlemen," the billionaire began. "I think we've been bushwhacked."

**Ahhhhh! Now Mara isn't the only one whose been kidnapped! How was it? Was it worth the wait? I promise I'll try and not fall off of horses so my hand won't swell up and I'll be allowed to type this story! EEEEEHH! I'm sooo excited for the chapters to come! This chapter however, has an interesting inspiration behind it. I was watching Joss Whedon's(director of The Avengers and the world's most brilliant genius) masterpiece, Firefly, and got to the third episode of the short-lived series, which was called Bushwhacked. Pretty much what happened was the crew of Serenity fell subject to a trap set for them by cannibalistic rapists, and that inspired me to make the Avengers fall into a trap set by Varkov. The way the episode ends also inspired the result of this little trap, but if you've never seen the show, first of all WATCH IIIITTT! Second of all, I don't want to spoil it for you. I just thought that was cool since it's sort of connected, you know, Joss Whedon, Firefly, Avengers… Yea. Well, I hope you liked it! Please review, favorite, follow, whatever. And sorry again for the wait!**

**Preview for Chapter 12-Vengeance: Clint and Natasha have been kidnapped by Varkov and his intentions are far worse than either of them could have imagined. The rest of the team frantically tries to find out where they have been taken. And, the next chapter is going to begin with a nice little flashback to show you exactly how Clint and Natasha's relationship worked out. Lots of drama next chapter, so please check back soon! I promise to have it up quicker than this one! Thanks for reading! TTFN!**


	12. Vengeance

**Yaaaay! Flashback time! Well, actually we get to see how Thor is handling the current situation first. There are some things that need to be established and I've only used Thor's POV once, so I felt bad. Then we'll get on to the fun stuff, like one of the two flashbacks we'll be seeing in the next two chapters that may or may not have something to do with Clint and Natasha's previous relationship… THERE WILL BE VIOLENCE AND DEATH IN THIS CHAPTER! Also, there's some 'sexual' assault I guess you could say. I'm not exactly sure how to classify the stuff that goes down since thankfully I don't have any experience with it, but I just wanted to let you know incase that's a sensitive subject for any of you (it really isn't that bad, I just wanted to let you know. This guy is a total creep!). Well, here ya go! Chapter 12!**

**IMPORTANT: **_**ITALICS= **_**FLASHBACK! :IMPORTANT**

**Chapter 12-Vengeance**

**Thor**

"This doesn't make any sense," Steve said as he paced back and forth. "How can they go in, not come out, but then not be here?"

"Well obviously there's another exit Einstein." Tony said, rolling his eyes.

"I do not see another exit." Thor looked around for an alternative door but only saw the one through which they had come.

"Well, there has to be some sort of secret passage, or hidden door, or something." Bruce exclaimed. "They couldn't have just vanished into thin air!"

"Wherever they are, we need to find them fast. If this was a set-up, Varkov obviously has something planned for them." Steve said worriedly.

"Okay, start looking around for a switch, or a button, or a lever…" Tony trailed off as he began feeling along the wall. Steve and Bruce began doing the same, leaving Thor to stand awkwardly in the center of the room.

He glanced between his teammates before finally settling his gaze on Tony, who was feeling the wall in the corner. Thor looked at the billionaire's feet, noticing that the boards moved whenever he shifted his weight. Without hesitation, he rushed over to Tony and lifted him out of the way.

"Thor, what the hell…" Tony whined in protest, but his voice was drowned out by a loud cracking sound as the thunder god's fist went through the wooden floor boards. "Are you crazy?" Tony exclaimed.

"There's a hole." Thor said simply, pointing to the broken wood.

"Yes, that's what happens when you…"

"Tony," Steve cut him off as he pulled away some of the shattered boards. "Look!" Bruce Tony, and Thor rushed over and looked into the small opening.

"See, Thor said with a smirk. "Hole."

"This thing has to be at least twenty feet deep." Bruce said, dumbfounded.

"There must be some sort of mechanism that opens it all the way." Tony said.

"Well we don't have time to look for it." Steve told him. He gestured to the surrounding floor boards before looking at the god expectantly. "Thor, if you don't mind." Before any of them could blink, the Asgaurdian had smashed away enough of the wooden planks to reveal the rest of the opening.

"Wow," Tony said as he stared into the tube. "What a hole."

"It looks like there's a ladder that leads down into it." Steve pointed to some metal bars that were protruding from the wall of the tube. He stuck his foot onto the first bar and began climbing down. "Well," he said expectantly to the rest of his teammates. "You coming?" They got in line and soon they were all descending into the darkness.

When they reached the bottom the warm, orange light of torches greeted them. Thor glanced around the underground tunnel they now found themselves in and gasped in shock.

"The walls of this cave are lined with human remains!" He exclaimed.

"The Catacombs." Tony whispered to himself. "How could I be such a moron!?" He suddenly exclaimed. "I should have figured this out! That's why he picked this place!"

"Tony, what are you talking about?" Bruce asked calmly.

"These tunnels run underground for miles. They're perfect for a makeshift torture chamber!" The billionaire wiped his hand over his face. "We _need_ to find them."

"Yea, but which way do we go?" Steve asked suddenly. Thor looked from right to left and saw nothing but never tunnels faintly lit by the glow of the torches that lined the walls.

"Okay, uh, Bruce and Steve, you guys head left. Thor and I will go right. If you find anything or get yourselves into trouble, let us know. Keep your comm. links on at all times." Tony told everyone.

"What if one of us finds Mara, but not Clint or Natasha?" Bruce asked.

"Then get her out of here as fast as you can. If you find a different exit, use it. Otherwise sneak her out through the party. Take a cab to the airport and get on the jet. The other team will stay down here and find Clint and Natasha. Once they're safe we'll all meet on the plane. Got it?" Everyone nodded, impressed with the billionaire's quick thinking. The two separate teams turned to go in their designated directions.

"Be safe you guys." Steve called over his shoulder.

"You too." Tony replied as he and Thor continued on, deeper into the Catacombs.

**Natasha**

_Three years ago…_

_ Natasha woke with a loud gasp as she sat upright in bed. The sheets that had been covering her naked body fell, leaving her skin bare and cold. She shivered as she tried to catch her breath, shoving the horrific images from her nightmare out of her head. _

_ "Natasha, what's wrong?" Clint asked, having been awakened by her sudden movements. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her, resting her head on his bare chest. "Did you have a nightmare?" Natasha nodded weakly, a tear escaping from the corner of her eye and trailing down her cheek. "It's okay," Clint soothed, "it was just a dream."_

_ "No." She said shakily. "It was real." He pulled her closer to him and lay back down, pulling her with him. He stroked her hair and hummed a lullaby Natasha didn't recognize. She closed her eyes and sighed contently, happy that she was here with Clint. Her nightmares from her past were becoming more vivid and frightening each time she had them, so it was nice having him there to comfort her. _

_ They lay there for awhile until Natasha was on the verge of falling back asleep. Her eyelids were heavy and her breathing had begun to even out as she slowly began to drift into unconsciousness. Before she was completely out she felt Clint kiss the top of her head. _

_ "I love you." He whispered. Suddenly, Natasha was wide awake. What did he just say? Her breathing picked up again and her pulse began to race as she tried to wrap her head around the three simple words Clint had just spoken to her. He'd probably thought she was asleep, but that didn't matter. He still said it. _

_ Natasha took deep breaths, trying to calm herself. A strange feeling in the pit of her stomach began to overwhelm her. She had never felt anything like it before. What was happening to her? Why was she getting so worked up over this? A frightening thought suddenly entered Natasha's mind. Could she be in love with Clint? No. There was no way. She was a spy, a killer. She was the Black Widow, and the Black Widow doesn't fall in love._

_ Natasha, who hadn't moved an inch since Clint had said what he did, cautiously peeked up at her sleeping partner. He was sound asleep. Without waking him, she slid out of bed and grabbed her clothes, putting them on as she made her way towards the door. With one final look at Clint, Natasha slipped out of the room. She had no intent of ever returning._

Natasha opened her eyes slowly, trying to ignore the throbbing pain emanating from her forehead. The last thing she remembered was being shoved to the ground by two men who had seemingly come out of nowhere. Everything after that was fuzzy.

She must have been knocked unconscious judging by the pain in her head. Natasha tried to reach up and probe the spot that hurt the most, but her hands had been tied tightly behind her. That's when she finally realized her situation. She'd been tied to a chair, her hands and feet restrained so tightly that the rope was cutting into her skin. There was no way she'd ever be able to pull them loose. How had this happened? She and Clint had only been in that room for a few seconds before…

Natasha froze. Clint. Where was Clint? She looked up frantically, desperate to find the face of her former partner. As soon as she lifted her head Natasha saw him. He was unconscious, chained to the wall directly in front of her in an upright position, and his jacket, shirt, and tie had been removed.

"Clint!" She whispered as loudly as she could. Natasha didn't want anyone to hear her, just in case they were waiting for them to wake up. "Clint!" She whispered again, slightly more anxious. A low groan escaped his lips and he began shuffling his feet to find his footing so he was no longer hanging by his wrists.

"Natasha." He said groggily, using what little strength he had to lift his head and look at her.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"Yea, you?" He replied.

"I'm fine." Natasha assured him. "What the hell happened?"

"A couple of men came out of nowhere, knocked us both unconscious. I'm guessing the renegotiation, the party, all of it was a set-up." Clint sighed angrily. She lowered her head, repeating what he had just told her in her mind.

"_All of it was a set-up."_

Natasha gasped. A set-up. It was all a set-up.

"Oh my God." She breathed.

"What?" Clint asked worriedly. "Are you alright." She ignored him, trying to process everything she had just realized. "Natasha, I need you to talk to me. What's wrong?" He pleaded. Natasha looked at him, a tear escaping her eye.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered. "Oh God, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Clint gave her a puzzled look.

"Why are you sorry? None of this is your fault." He tried to comfort her but her breathing became erratic, as though the truth of what was happening was suffocating her. "Natasha, what is going on?" Clint ordered.

"It was a trap." She whispered.

"Yea, I know. The party was a trap." He said calmly.

"No, Clint! It wasn't just the party! It was everything! The original deal, the twenty men, Mara, everything! All of it was a trap!" She exclaimed. He continued to give her a confused look.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"I'm such an idiot." Natasha whimpered. "I shouldn't have ripped up the list. I should've had Tony look up the names. We could have avoided all of this." Hot tears escaped her eyes and trailed down her cheeks. How could she be so stupid?

"Natasha, focus. You're not telling me anything here." Clint said frustrated.

"There were never any men Varkov wanted dead." She said almost hysterically. "That was just to get you involved. He knew I wouldn't even bother checking the names because I'd be focused on Mara. He knew exactly what I'd do before I did. He knew I'd panic, get you involved, and then do anything to get our daughter back. And now…" Natasha trailed off as a lump began forming in her throat. How was she supposed to tell him the next part?

"Now, what?" Clint urged.

"Remember that mission six years ago? Where we were supposed to kill Varkov, but he caught us and did those horrible things?" She asked shakily. He nodded. "We weren't supposed to escape." Natasha looked up into Clint's eyes as he slowly began to realize what she was getting at. "Everything he's done, from the original deal he made with me to this moment, all of it was for one purpose." She paused and took a deep breath, trying to hold in the fresh set of tears that were forming in her eyes. "He's going to kill us." Clint's breath caught in his throat as he thought through everything Natasha had just told him. For a moment, he didn't do anything. He didn't even breathe. "Clint?" She whispered desperately.

"No." He said distinctly. "He's not going to kill us. I'm not going to let him." Clint looked her right in the eyes. "I'm going to get us out of this. All of us. I promise."

"How?" She asked weakly. He thought for a moment.

"Back when we worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., what was the first thing they told us to do if we were ever captured by an enemy?" He asked her.

"Analyze the situation." Natasha replied mechanically.

"Exactly, so let's start with location. Where are we?" Clint glanced around the room they were in and Natasha did the same. "Are those bones in the wall?" He asked as he squinted through the dim light.

"The Catacombs. They run all underneath Paris. There must have been a way down to them in that room we were in." She exclaimed.

"Okay, so we know where we are. Next thing: Can we get out?" He looked at her ankles, which were tied tightly to the legs of the chair. "How tight are your restraints?" Natasha glanced down at her bleeding feet and tried once again to pull her limbs free.

"I can't loosen them." She said hopelessly. "What about you?"

"These chains are pretty rusty. If I use enough force, I could probably break them." He immediately began yanking on the chains around his wrists. Natasha watched as sweat began to form on his brow from all his effort.

"Clint, stop." She ordered when he began to groan with pain. "You're going to break your wrists if you keep pulling on them and that's not going to help us at all. I'm positive the guys know we're captured by now, so they'll be looking for us."

"Yea, but we don't know how long it's going to take them to find us. We aren't even sure how we got down here." He said pessimistically. "Until they come for us, we need to try and get out on our own. Do you still have any of your weapons on you?" Natasha wiggled in her chair, trying to feel for any holsters or sheathes that she had concealed in her dress.

"Nothing. No weapons, no comm. link. They took everything. What about you?" She watched hopefully as Clint squirmed in his chains. Relief flooded through her when she saw a smile form on his face.

"I have a knife. It's in my lower left pant leg. They must have missed it somehow." He told her excitedly. "If you could turn yourself around, then I could hold out my leg and you could grab the knife and cut yourself free."

"Okay, got it." Natasha began moving the chair as best she could with her restrained legs until they heard someone approaching.

"Oh good. You're both awake." Varkov sneered as he entered the cell. She and Clint stiffened at the sight of the Russian. "I was wondering when we'd be able to get started." He snickered. "I'm assuming you've figured everything out by now, so let's skip the whole evil plot explanation and get right down to the fun stuff."

"Wait." Natasha exclaimed. Varkov narrowed his eyes at her. "You said I could see my daughter. Where is she."

"I did say that, didn't I?" He pondered. "I'm always good on my word. Bring her in." He said into the earpiece he was wearing. A few moments later the cell door opened and a bulky man walked in carrying Mara. Natasha instinctively fought against her restraints trying to get to her daughter, even though she knew it was hopeless. She glanced at Clint out of the corner of her eye, realizing that this was the first, and possibly the last, time he'd ever seen his child. He showed no emotion, just kept his eyes trained on the baby girl the entire time. Mara, who had been sleeping, woke when she was handed off from the bulky man to Varkov. She looked around curiously before seeing Natasha and smiling as though nothing was wrong.

"Mama!" She squealed excitedly. Natasha's heart nearly broke.

"She is quite adorable." Varkov said as he stroked her face. "She'll be quite a contender."

"What?" Natasha said nervously.

"Well, you see, after I left the Room I began working on new programs. Better ones. I've had a hard time finding candidates for these said programs, and I can't help but think your daughter would be perfect." Clint exhaled heavily, fuming over Varkov's words. Natasha wasn't breathing at all. "Just think," The Russian continued, "the world's greatest marksman combined with the world's deadliest spy. She'll be lethal. Maybe even more lethal than you, Natalia." Varkov smirked at her before gesturing for the bulky man to take Mara out. "Sadly something tells me you'll never get to find out."

"Mama! Mama, no!" Mara screamed, reaching towards Natasha as the man carried her out.

"No!" Clint screamed, yanking against his chains as Mara passed him. Varkov turned to him, a look of curiosity on his face.

"Clint, you were so quiet over there I'd almost forgotten you were here. Tell me, was that the first time you've seen her?" He asked, walking towards him until he was only inches from his face. Clint glared at him, not saying a word. "Is it?" Varkov asked again. Silence. The sudden unmistakable crack of Clint's nose made Natasha flinch as the Russian threw his fist into his face. "I suggest you answer me when I ask you a question." Varkov sneered. "Was that the first time you've ever seen your daughter?" He asked a third time. Blood was pouring out of Clint's nose, but he still refused to answer the question.

"Yes." Natasha finally broke in. "That was the first time." Varkov turned to her and smiled maliciously.

"Well, it was also the last." He chuckled. "For both of you."

"What are you waiting for then?" Clint sputtered, spitting blood out of his mouth.

"Just because I'm going to kill you doesn't mean we can't have a bit of fun beforehand." Varkov said enthusiastically. "Now, who wants to go first?" Natasha closed her eyes and lowered her head, not wanting to be a part of his sick games. "No volunteers? That's just fine. Natalia, heads or tails?" She lifted her head and glared at him as he pulled a coin out of his pocket. "Heads it is then." Varkov decided when she didn't answer him. He flipped the coin into the air and caught it in his fist, checking to see which side it landed on. He smiled sympathetically at her. "Sorry, but it's tails. Looks like you're going to have to wait a while." Without hesitation, he turned to Clint, scratching his head thoughtfully. "Let's see, what do I have for you in my bag of goodies? Hmmm… Oh! I know!" Varkov suddenly exclaimed. He headed for the door. "I'll be right back." As soon as he left Natasha was hysterical.

"Clint!" She sobbed, knowing that the next hour could be the last she had with him.

"Natasha, shhhhh" he soothed her, "it's going to be okay. I told you I'm going to get us out of this. You need to stay calm though, okay? No matter what happens to me." She got her sobs under control and nodded. "Be strong." He whispered.

"Don't die." She whispered back as Varkov reentered the room pushing a cart with some sort of machine on it. Natasha saw Clint's stern look falter when he realized what the machine was.

"You remember this one, don't you?" The Russian asked as he picked up two wires with suction cups attached to them and placed them on either side of Clint's chest. Varkov got two more wires and placed them on each of his temples. "I never did get to finish this experiment. It was quite an interesting one. You recall, don't you Hawkeye?" Natasha's lower lip wobbled as she finally realized which experiment he was talking about. He wanted to see what effect certain amounts of electricity had on brain waves. From what she had seen the last time he conducted this experiment, the pain it caused was excruciating.

Varkov walked over to the machine and switched it on, allowing it to charge up. "Well then, let's begin, shall we?" He flipped the switch that turned on electricity, causing Clint's body to convulse violently. He didn't scream though, and Varkov was obviously disappointed by this. He began turning the knob on the machine, trying to get a reaction out of Clint. Finally, after the knob was more than halfway to its maximum setting, he began to scream. Natasha watched in horror as Clint's eyes rolled back in his head while he produced the most heart wrenching sound she had ever heard. After a few moments of listening to her partner's cries, she snapped.

"Stop!" She screeched as loud as she could. "Stop it! Please! You're killing him!" Natasha began to sob uncontrollably, lowering her head so she didn't have to watch Clint died. Surprisingly, his screams subsided shortly after her outburst and she heard the machine powering down. Natasha lifted her head and saw Clint trying to catch his breath as his body stopped convulsing. Tears streamed down her face as she exhaled in relief. She had been sure Varkov would kill him, so why didn't he? Natasha glanced at the evil man to find him looking back and forth between them, a huge, sick smile on his face.

"Hmmm…" He said disturbingly, "How interesting."

**Bruce**

"Which way was that coming from?" Bruce exclaimed as he tried to pinpoint the direction in which Clint's screams had come from.

"I don't know! It's hard to tell with all the damn echoes!" Steve yelled frustrated.

"Bruce, Steve, did you guys hear that?" Tony asked anxiously over the comm. link.

"Yea, we heard it, but we can't tell which way it was coming from. It was pretty distant, too." Bruce replied.

"Me and Thor are really close. It was really clear in our direction. Start making your way towards us. We're going to find them." Tony said determinedly.

"You got it, we'll be there as soon as we can." Steve answered.

"Oh, and by the way, we passed another exit. I think it leads to that cemetery that was a few blocks away. When we leave, that'll be our escape route." The billionaire exclaimed.

"Sure thing, Tony. We're on our way now." Without saying anything else, Bruce and Steve began sprinting back the way they'd come. Judging by Clint's screams, they were either too late, or they were about to be.

**Clint**

Clint gasped for another breath as his body finally quit convulsing. His head drooped with exhaustion from resisting the pain for so long. Natasha's pleas still stuck in his head as the effects of the electricity subsided. He couldn't believe Varkov had actually listened to her when she told him to stop.

"Hmmm…" He heard Varkov say to his right. "How interesting." Clint looked up to see the Russian looking back and forth between him and Natasha. "You two are quite good, I'll give you that much." He laughed.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Clint asked tiredly. Varkov laughed again.

"I was completely under the impression that you two called it off three years ago, but now I see." He walked over to Natasha and leaned in close to her face. "Your feelings for him still linger, don't they Natalia?" Varkov whispered. She didn't acknowledge him at all, she just looked at Clint with a pleading look on her face. Varkov followed her gaze until his eyes met Clint's. "That's what I thought." He chuckled before moving on to Clint. "Now the real question is, are these feelings mutual?" Varkov got right up in his face and looked at him expectantly. Clint glared at him, his gaze not faltering once. "No?" The Russian man smirked and slowly moved away from him, backing up all the way until he was directly behind Natasha. He tenderly wrapped his arms across her chest. "You're saying this doesn't bother you?" He began sliding her dress down to reveal her bra, then cupped her breasts in his hands. Clint heard Natasha's sharp intake of breath as she endured Varkov's torment. She stared at Clint the entire time as Varkov leaned over to kiss her neck. Natasha squeezed her eyes shut allowing a fresh set of tears to run down her cheeks.

The adrenaline began pumping through Clint's body as anger began to overwhelm him. It took all of his remaining energy to keep himself from showing any sort of reaction. If Varkov believed this bothered him, god only knows what else he would do to her. After a few minutes of this, the Russian finally realized that Clint appeared unaffected by his latest form of torture.

"You truly don't share her feelings for you, do you Clint?" Varkov asked curiously. Clint responded with another glare. "Well, I suppose you won't mind this then." Suddenly, the crazed Russian pulled a knife from his jacket pocket and plunged it into Natasha's side. Her face contorted with pain, but she refused to give him the satisfaction of a scream. Varkov removed the knife from her side, only to stab her again in the stomach. This time she couldn't hold it in. Natasha shrieked with pain. Clint fought against the chains that restrained him, more and more adrenaline pumping through his blood every second. "Oh," Varkov sneered, "so this does bother you?" He pulled the knife out of her stomach and proceeded to stab her again in her other side. "Does this bother you?" He yelled before removing the knife and stabbing her again, and again, and again. Natasha stopped shrieking and her head lolled to the side. She was going into shock. That was all it took. With one final yank, Clint broke free from the rusty chains. Before Varkov could even think to move out of the way, Clint had pulled his knife from his left pant leg, grabbed the Russian, and slit his throat. He fell to the ground, landing on his back as blood spewed from his mouth. Varkov reached for the cut on his throat in an attempt to stop the bleeding, but Clint knelt down next to him, pinning him to the ground.

"Ain't Karma a bitch?" He asked before plunging his knife into the Russian's heart, ending his life forever. When he was sure he was dead, Clint removed the knife from his chest and immediately turned his attention to Natasha. He cut the ropes that bound her to the chair and watched in horror as her body began limply sliding onto the floor. "Natasha!" He yelled as he caught her in his arms. Blood poured from the stab wounds on her stomach and her face had gone pale. "Natasha, open your eyes please!" Clint begged, shaking her gently. He checked her pulse and found that it was a lot slower than it should be. "Natasha, please." He whimpered softly. "Open your eyes."

**Woooooo! Just wrote this whole thing in one sitting! Aaaaaannnnd now it's 2:00am. I don't know how many of you love Christmas movies, but did you catch my two quotes I had from some? The "what a hole" Tony said from Home Alone 2 and the "well, you coming" that Steve said was from Polar Express! Ahhh I love Christmas! How did you guys like the flashback? I hope you loved it, cuz it's not the last one you're gonna see. LOTS of shit going down in this chapter, and I'd loooooooove to hear what you thought of it all! One question: Is it sick that I had a great time writing this? I enjoyed it for the drama, not the horrible stuff that happened. That's why I finished it so fast. The next chapter is gonna be up soon probably cuz it's gonna be a lot shorter. Like, super short. Well maybe not **_**that**_** short. Speaking of the next chapter, how about a little preview…**

**Chapter 13-Stay With Me: Natasha's life hangs in the balance. Will the rest of the team be able to rescue Mara and still get to her mother in time, or will sacrifices have to be made?**

**Take from that what you will. Please don't hate me for leaving you hanging like that! I gotta keep ya'll coming back somehow! Until next time, TTFN!**

**(HINT: The more reviews, follows, and favorites I get, the quicker I update! Just so you know…)**


	13. Stay With Me

**How you guys doing? You hanging in there after that cliffhanger? I know, I know, as many of you told me, I am an evil person. But let me just warn you now, I can be much worse than that! Mwahahahaha! I sooooo love writing this story! And, all your support is super helpful! Sadly though, we are approaching the final chapters of Taken and I can honestly say that I'm not going to know what to do with my life after I'm done with it. But, let's focus on the present! I'm trying really hard to get this story done before next Friday, since it is the end of the world and all. I thought it'd be nice for you guys to know how it ends before we all die. Anyways, you probably just want to get on to the story now, so I'll leave you to it. Here it is, Chapter 13!**

**P.S.: THERE IS ANOTHER FLASHBACK IN THIS CHAPTER, SO REMEMBER, **_**ITALICS**_**= FLASHBACK!**

**Chapter 13-Stay With Me:**

**Steve**

"Tony, Thor!" Steve called as the god and the billionaire came into view.

"We hear more screams." Thor said, his brow creased with worry. "I believe it was Natasha this time."

"Yea, we could hear it." Bruce replied anxiously.

"Have you two been getting any closer?" Steve asked hopefully.

"Yea, I think we're almost there." Tony told them. The four Avengers continued to rush through the tunnel until they heard voices coming in their direction. "Shit." The billionaire whispered. He ducked behind a corner and gestured for the others to follow suit. In no time they were all crowded behind Tony, trying to peek around the wall to see who was approaching.

Two large men were walking down the tunnel having a conversation in Russian. Without hesitation, everyone pulled out their guns, loading them up and readying them for use. The sudden cry of an infant, however, caused them all to go wide eyed and lower their weapons. Tony peeked around the corner again.

"They have Mara." He whispered back to his teammates. They immediately put their guns away, not willing to risk injuring their friend's child while trying to rescue her. As the Russians began to draw near, Steve got an idea.

"Okay, I have a plan." He told the rest of the team. "When they walk by, we'll all run out at once and catch them off guard. Tony, you grab Mara and get her out of harm's way. Bruce, you cover him. Thor and I will take them out. Got it?" Everyone nodded, not wasting any time. A few moments later, the two Russian men were a few steps away from rounding the corner. "Ready…" Steve paused, waiting for them to just get a little bit closer until they were only a few feet away. "Now!" He shouted and all the Avengers jumped out from behind the wall and began completing their assigned tasks.

Tony was quick to pull Mara from the first man's hands and Steve proceeded to taze him once they were clear. Thor delivered a powerful blow to the second man's head, causing him to fall to the ground instantly. The attack on the Russians ended just as quickly as it had begun. Mara was crying hysterically in Tony's arms as the billionaire tried desperately to soothe her.

"Tony," Steve called to him as he began to rock back and forth. "You and Thor need to get her out of here."

"What about Clint and Natasha?" He asked as Mara's cries began to subside.

"Me and Bruce will stay down here and find them, just like we talked about. We'll let you know when we're on our way." Tony nodded and turned towards the direction in which they'd come to begin heading back to the exit.

"C'mon Thor." He called to the god, who obediently followed after him. "Hey," Tony glanced over his shoulder to look Steve and Bruce in the eye. "Bring them back alive." The pair nodded before turning away from them and continuing down the tunnel, hoping they'd be able to do as Tony said.

**Natasha**

_Natasha sighed as she listened to yet another message from Clint. He had been calling her constantly all week, leaving messages about how he was worried about her and wondering why she left like she did. Could he not take a hint? She sighed as she clicked the stop button on her answering machine to cut the message short. Natasha didn't have time to deal with Clint today. She had a lot of errands to run and only half the day to do them all._

_ She grabbed her coat off the back of the couch before picking up her purse and heading for the door. Natasha turned the knob of her apartment door and pulled it open to find Clint standing there, his hand lifted to knock. _

_ "Oh, so you are alive." He said sarcastically. _

_ "What are you doing here?" Natasha asked as she closed her door._

_ "What am I doing here? I've been calling you like crazy Tasha! Haven't you gotten any of my messages?" Clint asked, exasperated._

_ "Oh, I've gotten your messages." She huffed before walking towards the stairwell of her building. He followed her downstairs and into the lobby. _

_ "Why didn't you call me then? I've been worried sick about you." Clint reached out and grabbed her arm, turning her around to look at him. "Are you alright?" Natasha sighed and looked into his concern filled eyes. She was going have to do this sooner or later._

_ "Look, Clint, I don't think we should do this." She said slowly. He released her arm and took a startled step back, confusion covering his face._

_ "What do you mean?" He asked._

_ "Look, things were great when we worked for S.H.I.E.L.D., but that's over now. I think we just need a fresh start." Clint stared at her like she was insane. _

_ "Where is all this coming from?" He asked. "What happened?"_

_ "Nothing happened, Clint." She said sternly. "You're just going to have to let go."_

_ "What? No! Natasha, whatever this is I'm sure we can work it out." He pleaded._

_ "Goodbye, Clint." She turned and walked out the door._

_ "Nat, why aren't you telling me what's going on?" He called after her. "Why won't you just talk to me?" She felt him grab her arm which she yanked away forcibly before turning to face him. _

_ "Let it go!" Natasha yelled. "Whatever you think we had is gone. It's over." Clint stopped in the middle of the crowded New York sidewalk, completely shocked by what she had just said to him. She used the opportunity to get away from him, allowing the crowd to carry her away. When Clint finally realized she was gone he frantically began searching for her, but she was already gone._

_ "Natasha!" She heard him call after her. Tears began to form in her eyes as the conversation they had just had finally began to sink in. She wanted more than anything to run back to him and apologize for everything she had said to him. She wanted to tell him what was going on, but she couldn't. With her eyes set straight ahead she didn't dare look back as he called for her one final time. "Natasha!"_

"Natasha!" Clint's voice broke through the haze that surrounded her. Her eyes fluttered open and that's when everything came flooding back. She looked into Clint's worried eyes as he sighed in relief. "I thought I'd lost you." She smiled weakly and tried to sit up some but was forced back down by the excruciating pain that was emanating from her stomach. Natasha placed her hand on her abdomen and lifted it back up to see that it had been dyed a scarlet red.

"Clint." She gasped, noticing that it had become difficult to breathe.

"You're gonna be okay." He said reassuringly. "Let me just find something to stop the bleeding."

"Clint." Natasha whispered as he gently set her on the ground and rushed off to find a bandage. He soon returned with a piece of cloth in his hands.

"This is going to hurt." He warned before pressing it onto her stomach. She gasped at the intense pain that overwhelmed her as Clint held the cloth in place. "You've lost a lot of blood, we're going to need to get you out of here as soon as possible."

"Clint!" Natasha finally said loud enough for him to hear. Tears began to leak from her eyes as he carefully took her in his arms. "Stop."

**Clint**

"Stop? Stop what?" He asked as he brushed the hair out of her sweaty face.

"Just stop." She grabbed his hand that was holding the cloth to her stomach and tried to move it. Clint stared at her in confusion. "You need to listen to me, I don't know how much time I have." She gasped.

"Natasha, don't talk like that. You're going to be fine, just like you always are." He encouraged her. She shook her head weakly as a fresh set of tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Not this time." She whimpered, a small sob escaping her lips.

"No, you can't just give up! I need you to stay with me here, okay?" Clint said frantically.

"I need you to listen to me!" Natasha said as loudly as she could through clenched teeth. She took a deep, labored breath as a couple more tears escaped her eyes. "I want you to take care Mara."

"Will you stop that! You're not going to die, okay?" He exclaimed.

"Stop fighting with me." She whispered. Clint shut his mouth, realizing the more he fought her the weaker she seemed to become. "I want you to promise me you'll take care of her."

"Natasha, I…"

"Promise me!" She sobbed. Clint grabbed her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I promise." He whispered.

"Make sure she knows how much I loved her." Natasha said as she gasped for another breath.

"I will." Clint's chin began to wobble when he noticed her breathing start to slow.

"And don't let the guys blame themselves for this. There was nothing they could have done." Her voice was barely audible.

"I'll tell them that." A tear trailed down his cheek as Natasha closed her eyes.

"And Clint," She said weakly.

"Yes?" He asked quietly.

"Promise me you'll be happy." Her chest began to heave as it desperately tried to take in more air.

"I promise." He lied. She was nearing the end, but Natasha still opened her eyes to see his face one last time.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, "I should have told you." Clint cupped her face in one of his hands.

"You should have told me what?" He asked desperately, knowing her time was almost up. Natasha opened her mouth to answer him, but instead gave a loud cough. Blood began to emerge from her throat and leak out of her mouth. Clint wiped it away and held her to his chest as he listened to her take a final breath before going limp in his arms. "Natasha?" He whispered, but he was only met by silence.

Clint pulled her away from his chest so he could see her face and realized that her eyes had slid shut. He placed a kiss on her forehead before placing her on the ground and staring at her battered body as tears streamed down his face.

"I'm so sorry!" He suddenly sobbed, leaning over and grabbing her hand. He remained next to her until he heard gunshots outside the cell and the sound of men falling to the ground. Clint didn't move from Natasha's side, nor did he release her hand. He just waited for his friends to arrive. A few moments later, Bruce and Steve busted into the cell, their guns aimed and ready. They lowered their weapons, however, when they noticed their teammates sitting on the ground.

"Thank God!" Steve exclaimed. "We thought we were too late."

_"You are too late."_ Clint wanted to say, but he couldn't speak. Bruce and Steve walked up behind him.

"Are you two alright?" Bruce asked. Clint heard Steve gasp as he finally laid his eyes on the Russian assassin in front of them.

"Natasha…" He trailed off, pointing to the multiple stab wounds in her stomach. "Is she…"

"She's gone." Clint said mechanically as he finally released her hand.

**Please don't hate me! I know I'm gonna get some mean reviews for this chapter, but may I just say that it's not over yet! Sorry it was so short! The last two will be longer, especially chapter 15, so please keep reading! Just cuz Natasha died doesn't mean the story is over, it's just taken a turn! Plus, I did warn you there would be character death, so don't get mad if you don't read my little author's intro thing at the beginning of each chapter! Here's a preview for the next chapter:**

**Chapter 14-There's Still Time**

**That's all I'm giving you is the title. I think it can pretty much sum up what's gonna go down if you think about it hard enough! Anyways, please don't get angry and stop reading my story! I have the last two chapters and the epilogue all planned out, and I think you guys will really like the way it ends! Favorites, follows, and (nice)reviews are always appreciated!**

**P.S. My goal for this chapter was to make at least one person cry, so if you cried please let me know that I was successful! P.P.S. Sorry I made you cry if you did ;)**


	14. There's Still Time

**Well, I'm back. Thanks for all the reviews last chapter! I'm glad so many of you were honest about crying! I don't think I've ever been able to make anyone cry before **** I even got a few death threats, which was cool. But now it's time to put all that aside and get on with the penultimate chapter of Taken! I'm super depressed cuz there's only gonna be one more chapter plus and epilogue after this :'( What am I going to do with my life? Okay, one last thing, then I'll let you go. I just want to remind everyone that THIS IS FICTION! Anything can happen, got it? I've had this story planned out from day one and this is how I've always wanted things to go (but now, judging by people's reviews, I'm worried that people aren't going to like this chapter). Just keep all that in mind… anyways, here's chapter 14! **

**P.S. I'd like to send my prayers out to the families of the twenty children that were killed in Newtown, Connecticut at the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on Friday, December 14. No child should be taken from this world like they were, and I hope that God is with those who are suffering from this tragedy.**

**Chapter 14-There's Still Time**

**Bruce**

Bruce watched as Steve walked up Clint and crumpled to the ground next to him. He gently touched her pale face as he tried to stifle a sob. Bruce just stood there, shocked. How could this have happened? Natasha couldn't be dead. There was no way someone as strong as she was could just die.

Eventually, Bruce joined the others as the huddled around Natasha's body. He knelt down next to them, noticing the tears that were streaming down the other two Avenger's faces, as well as the tears that were burning in the backs of his own eyes. He blinked furiously, not wanting the others to see him break down. Out of all the Avengers, Clint and Steve had been the closest to Natasha, so he could only imagine what was going through their minds right now. Especially Clint. They'd had a baby together! Bruce ran his hand through his hair as he thought about Mara growing up without a mother. That was something no child should have to go through.

After a few minutes of silently mourning their fallen friend, Bruce finally spoke.

"Clint," He said softly, placing a hand on the archer's shoulder. "We need to go." Clint responded with a slight nod. Steve removed his jacket and placed it around Clint's shoulders to cover his bare chest. Bruce gently lifted Natasha's head off the ground to try and pick her up, when he noticed all the warmth had not yet left her body. That was odd. It only took five minutes for a human body to go cold after the heart stopped beating, and that was in an area where it was at least 72 degrees. It was much colder down here. Bruce's heart leapt as he gently placed two of his fingers on Natasha's neck. He waited, and waited, and waited, until finally he felt something. A pulse. It was very faint, but it was a pulse nonetheless! "Oh my God." Bruce whispered to himself before yanking off his jacket.

"Bruce?" Steve asked as he helped Clint to his feet. "What are you doing?" The doctor began carefully wrapping Natasha's lifeless body in his jacket as an attempt to keep her warm, as well as hide her wounds.

"She has a pulse." He exclaimed, carefully lifting her off the ground.

"What? But she's not breathing!" Clint yelled, finally coming out of his shocked state.

"She is, you just can't tell. Her heart is barely beating." Bruce told him.

"How?" The archer pleaded for answers.

"I honestly have no idea!" He exclaimed. "Judging by her injuries, there is no way she should be alive right now."

"Who cares if it's possible or not? The point is that she _is_ alive and we need to get her out of here _now_!" Steve said frantically. He rushed over to Bruce and gently took Natasha from his arms. "You help Clint. He can barely walk." Bruce did as he said, wrapping his arm around the archer's waist for support. They all hurried out of the cell and in the direction of the nearest exit. Clint seemed to be going into shock as he tried to keep up with Bruce who was half dragging him through the tunnel.

"Will she be okay?" He mumbled, staring ahead at the dying assassin in Steve's arms. Bruce wasn't sure how to answer him. Natasha had lost a lot of blood, and there was almost definitely internal bleeding. The fact that she was even alive was a miracle and there was a very slim chance she would even make it to the plane. But how was he supposed to tell that to Clint?

"Maybe." He said cautiously, not wanting to get his hopes up, but not wanting to crush him either. Clint gave a mechanical nod as they came to a stop in front of a ladder which they had passed earlier.

"This is it." Steve told them. He gently tucked Natasha into his side so he could hold her with one hand and used the other to climb. Clint went up after him and was then followed by Bruce. When they reached the top they opened the trapdoor and climbed out of the hole which was concealed behind a couple of tombstones. They were in the cemetery a few blocks from the party, just as Tony had said.

"Where do we go?" Bruce asked.

"Tony, are you there?" Steve said into his comm. link.

"Yea, I'm here. Thor and I are waiting on the plane. Did you find them?" Tony replied.

"Yes, we found them but Natasha is in really bad shape. Where's the limo parked? We need to get her back as quickly as possible." Bruce told him.

"I told the driver to park in front of the cemetery you come out in. He should be waiting at the entrance." The billionaire answered. "He knows where to go, so just let him know when you're in."

"Great, thanks." Steve said as they began hurrying to the entrance of the cemetery. Sure enough, the limo was waiting for them just like Tony had said. Steve gently place Natasha in a seat before climbing in next to her and helping Clint sit down. Bruce was the last one in, so he closed the door behind him and stuck his hand out the window to signal the driver that they were ready to go. In no time they were speeding through Paris streets heading for the airport.

"Tony," Bruce said as he moved over to Natasha to check her pulse. It was still extremely faint. If they didn't do something quick she wasn't going to last much longer.

"Yea?" Tony answered.

"I need you to get some medical supplies ready for me." The doctor told him as he adjusted the blood-soaked makeshift bandage over Natasha's stomach and applied pressure to it, turning his hand a scarlet red.

"You got it. What do you need?" The billionaire replied.

"I'm gonna need an IV drip, a needle and stitches, probably some staples as well, an oxygen tank and mask, and blood." Bruce listed off.

"How much blood?" Tony asked.

"All you have for Natasha." The doctor ordered.

"What the hell happened?" Tony exclaimed. That was a good question. They hadn't exactly had time to get the whole story from Clint.

"We'll tell you later. Just have everything ready by the time we get there."

"I'm on it." Tony could be heard rummaging around on the other end of the line, preparing the 'infirmary' for its incoming patient.

"How is she?" Clint asked weakly from the opposite corner of the cabin.

"She's lost a lot of blood." Bruce told him. "I hate to say it, but I'm not sure she can make it to the plane."

"She'll make it." The archer said positively. "She's a fighter." Bruce shook his head, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Don't get your hopes up." He mumbled. Ten minutes later the limo came to a stop and Steve gathered Natasha in his arms once again and climbed out. Clint got out next, followed by Bruce. The limo had driven around to a private runway where the jet was waiting for them. The rushed up the stairs to the plane and threw open the door. "Take her to the back." Bruce ordered.

"Holy shit." Tony murmured as Steve carried Natasha past him before following them towards the tail of the plane. Thor stood awkwardly in the corner and watched them take the lifeless assassin to the makeshift infirmary while holding Mara in his arms.

"Mama?" The infant called out when she saw her dying mother's face.

"Don't let her see!" Bruce exclaimed, not wanting the child's innocence to be taken from her at such a young age. "She shouldn't have to see this." Thor nodded and turned the baby girl towards the front of the jet so she wouldn't be able to see them work on healing Natasha. When Bruce reached the back of the plane, Steve had already set her down on the table.

"What do we do first?" Tony asked frantically.

"Get the oxygen mask on her." Bruce ordered. Tony grabbed the mask and placed it over Natasha's nose and mouth. The doctor checked her pulse, but could only feel an occasional pump of blood go through her veins. "She's fading fast." He mumbled. "We need to stop the bleeding. Steve, get me that needle and some stitches." Bruce pointed to the tray that contained the materials he needed. Steve grabbed the tray and carried it over to the doctor as he pulled back the cloth over Natasha's stomach and cut away the remnants of her dress that surrounded the wounds.

"What's next?" Tony asked as he finished ensuring the oxygen mask would stay in place on the assassin's face.

"I need you to set up the IV drip to prevent infection. You know how to do that?" Bruce asked as he cleaned off some of the blood on Natasha's stomach and began threading his needle. Tony nodded and quickly did as the doctor had told him, sticking the IV in her wrist and hanging the bag of anti-bacterial fluids on a stand next to the table.

"Okay, done." The billionaire said shakily when he finished.

"Great, now go tell the pilot to prepare for take-off. As soon as I'm done with these stitches we need to be on our way." Tony nodded and rushed back towards the front of the plane. Meanwhile, Bruce carefully began to sew up the multiple slits in Natasha's stomach. This would temporarily stop the external bleeding. He didn't even want to think about the amount of internal bleeding she probably had, but there was nothing he'd be able to do about it until they got back… or if she even made it back. The chances of that were growing slimmer by the second.

As soon as Bruce finished the stitches, he placed the needle onto the tray Steve was holding and immediately began preparing the needed materials for a blood transfusion.

"Steve, get me one of those blood bags." Bruce said over his shoulder with a nod to the multiple bags of blood Tony had set aside for Natasha. The soldier obeyed and grabbed one of the bags, hurrying it over to him. Once the bag was hooked up to the needle by a long plastic tube, Bruce connected it to the transfusion machine Tony had brought and inserted the needle in her wrist that didn't have the IV in it. He flicked on the machine and monitored it for a few moments to make sure everything was functioning properly. When the blood began to enter Natasha's body, Bruce checked her pulse again. There hadn't been any significant change, which was good because it wasn't getting any worse, but bad because it wasn't getting better either. As the seconds ticked by, Bruce became less and less hopeful that she would make it seven whole hours back to New York.

"Bruce, are we good?" Tony asked as he breathlessly reentered the 'infirmary'. "The pilot is ready to go."

"Tell him to go ahead and take off. There isn't much else I can do for her until we get back, so the sooner we leave the better." The doctor replied as he worriedly watched the unconscious assassin. The billionaire hurried off once more, followed by Steve who no longer felt needed in the crowded infirmary. Bruce sat down next Natasha and monitored the transfusion machine as it pumped blood into the dying red-head. He pulled off his bloodied gloves and threw them in the nearest trash bin before running his hand through his hair. It was going to take a miracle to get her back alive.

"Do you think she'll make it?" Clint asked quietly from the corner of the infirmary, where he had been sitting unnoticed the entire time.

"It's hard to say. She's lost a lot of blood and I'm not sure if we'll be able to replenish it fast enough. Then there's also the issue of likely internal bleeding which I'd have to go in and fix surgically…"

"I'll take that as a no." Bruce was cut off by the distraught archer. He gave him a sympathetic look.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Clint. Things aren't looking too great. I'm still shocked she's survived this long. Her injuries are far more severe than I could have guessed." The doctor said sadly.

"How much time would you say she has?" Clint asked, keeping his eyes glued on Natasha.

"A few hours at the most. Probably less, though." Bruce answered.

"Is there anything else we can do?" He pleaded. Bruce shook his head.

"All we can do now is keep her as comfortable as possible and change out the blood bags when they're empty." He told Clint. The archer nodded slowly.

"Can I have a minute?" He asked, shoving himself out of his chair and limping over to Natasha's bedside.

"Sure." Bruce said, walking towards the curtain that separated the front of the plane from the back. He paused and glanced over his shoulder before walking through. "If anything happens just holler." Clint nodded and sat down in the chair Bruce had been sitting in, taking Natasha's hand in his. The doctor turned and walked through the curtain, giving the archer his requested privacy.

**Clint**

"Natasha," Clint whispered. "If you can hear me, I wanted to tell you that you need to hold out just a little bit longer. If not for yourself then for Mara. She needs her mother. Plus, there's no way I can take care of her without you. I don't know the first thing about raising a kid." Clint rested his head on the table and sighed as tears began to stream down his face.

"Please don't leave me." He cried softly. "Not again. I don't know if I'll be able to move on this time. Especially if I have our daughter to take care of as a constant reminder of what I'm living without." The archer picked his head up and stared at Natasha as her pale face began to regain some of its color due to the blood that was being pumped into her system. He stroked her hand, silently hoping that that meant she was starting to get better. Clint wanted nothing more than to see her open her eyes and reassure him that she was going to be fine, but something told him that wasn't going to happen. He wouldn't give up hope, though. There was no way he was going to let her slip through his fingers again.

"Natasha," Clint sniffled as he reached out to stroke her face. "There's something I need you to hear. I told you this three years ago, but I'm not sure if you heard me, so I'm gonna say it now." He squeezed her hand gently and looked directly into her closed eyes. "I love you." He whispered. "I've loved you since the day I was assigned to be your partner. I've loved you through everything. Even when I swore I hated you for leaving me the way you did three years ago, I loved you. I love you now, Natasha, and I need you here with me." Clint's eyes filled with tears again when Natasha's body remained still and lifeless. "Please," he begged, "I need you."

7 hours later…

Clint forced his eyes back open after keeping them closed for too long. He had had to keep himself from dozing off for the entire plane ride. The archer had refused to leave Natasha's side, despite Bruce's protests. The doctor had come in every once in a while to check her pulse and change out her blood bags. Despite his predictions, Natasha had somehow managed to survive the extent of the plane ride.

"I don't believe it." Bruce whispered when he came back in to check on her one last time before they landed. "I actually think she's gotten better. There's a lot more color in her cheeks and her pulse is much stronger than it was before." He said in amazement.

"Does this mean she'll make it?" Clint asked in hopeful exhaustion.

"It's still unlikely." Bruce said, completely demolishing the archer's excitement. "She still has to make it back to the tower, and then there's the surgery. Her chances may be better now that her pulse is stronger, but they aren't _that_ much better. Like I've been saying, it would take a miracle." Clint leaned back in his chair, utterly exhausted. Natasha had to make it. There was no way she was going to last this long just to end up dead in the end.

"Attention all passengers. Please take your seats. We will be landing in five minutes." The pilot said over the intercom. Bruce sat down in one of the chairs next to Natasha and settled in for the decent.

"Tony called ahead and got an ambulance that will get me and Natasha back to the tower so we can get her into surgery as soon as possible. The rest of you will follow behind in the two cars we came to the airport in." Bruce explained as the plane declined. As soon as the jet landed and came to a full stop, Steve had entered the infirmary and begun helping Bruce unhook her from the transfusion machine and IV drip before quickly carrying her off the plane. Clint followed closely behind them with Tony, Thor, and Mara in tow. He watched as Steve gently lifted Natasha into a waiting emergency vehicle. Bruce climbed in after her and shut the doors behind him before the ambulance began speeding off the runway towards Stark Tower.

"Let's go." Steve ordered when he rejoined the others. He grabbed Clint by the waist to help his exhausted legs move faster as the remaining Avengers rushed towards the private garage in which Tony had parked their cars. In less than five minutes, Steve, Thor, and Mara had piled into one of the cars with Tony and Clint in the other. Tony led the way, backing out of the garage and turning sharply towards the exit of the airport parking lot. Steve followed suit and soon both cars were speeding off after the ambulance that had left before them.

Clint was in a daze for the duration of the ride to the tower. He was so tired he could barely keep his eyes open. But he had to stay awake. He wasn't going to rest until he knew Natasha was okay. By the time Clint had pulled himself back into reality, Tony had parked their car in the parking garage underneath the tower and was unbuckling his seatbelt.

"Clint, c'mon!" The billionaire exclaimed, snapping his fingers. "We need to get upstairs." Clint dragged himself out of the car and hurried after his teammates and daughter as they crammed into the elevator. During the ride up, the archer glanced over at Mara, who was looking around curiously in Thor's arms. She looked over at Clint and stared at him, a scrutinizing look crossing her face as she observed him. He smiled at her, remembering that Natasha would get the same exact look when forming her opinion about something. It was amazing how much she looked like her, minus the blue eyes and brown hair. Mara saw him smiling and gave him a shy smile in return before turning away from him and burrowing her head in Thor's shoulder. Just then, the elevator dinged and the Avengers rushed out and into what looked like a small waiting room.

Pepper was there waiting for them, and when she saw them get off the elevator she nearly collided with Tony, throwing her arms around his neck and stifling a sob.

"I saw Natasha." She whimpered as Tony tried to soothe her. "How could this happen?" Everyone turned to Clint as he realized that he was the only one who could answer that question. He gave a tired sigh and walked over to one of the hard plastic chairs that was lined up against the wall and leaned his head back. The rest of the team sat down as well and looked to Clint expectantly.

"After Varkov led us into that back room. That's when everything started to go wrong." He began as everyone settled in to hear about Clint and Natasha's dreadful experience.

1 hour later…

"And that's when you and Bruce came in." Clint said looking at Steve as he finished his story. Everyone stared at him in horror, trying to comprehend everything he had just told them.

"Oh Clint," Pepper whispered as tears trickled down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry you both had to go through that." She reached over to him and grabbed his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "And, I'm no doctor, but after hearing about everything that happened to _you_, I'd recommend getting yourself checked out. Your nose looks really bad." Clint reached up with his free hand and gently probed his swollen nose. The slightest touch caused it to shriek with pain, signifying that it was most definitely broken.

"I'll have someone look at it as soon as I know if Natasha is okay." He promised. As though he'd been waiting on cue, Bruce walked into the waiting room, still wearing his scrubs. Everyone stood as soon as they saw him giving him the same hopeful, expectant stare. "What happened?" Clint asked. Bruce sighed and gave them all a disbelieving look.

"A fucking miracle." He said. "She made it." Everyone nearly collapsed with relief, except for Clint who actually did collapse. Bruce rushed over to him and helped him to his feet.

"Can I see her?" Clint pleaded, but the doctor shook his head.

"She's recovering right now. We've managed to stabilize her but she's going to need a few hours of undisturbed rest." He told him. "As for you, I'm going to need to take a look at your nose. I'll need an X-ray to see how damaged it is, then I'll give you some painkillers to numb the pain." Bruce began leading Clint towards the door in which he had just come out of. "After that, you're going straight to bed."

"No, I want to see Natasha." Clint whined as Bruce showed him into the X-ray room.

"If you don't get some rest soon you're gonna crash." The doctor warned as he began switching on the machine. "And, if you refuse to do as I ask, I have a couple different sedatives that will knock you right out." Clint narrowed his eyes.

"You wouldn't." He challenged.

"Try me." Bruce replied.

"Someone should be there with her when she wakes up." Clint said as he got in position to take the X-ray.

"I'm sure one of the guys will be more than willing to sit with her until she comes to." Bruce told him as he aimed the machine towards Clint's face.

"What about Mara?" He pressed on.

"Thor has actually become pretty attached to her. He knows how to feed her and with Pepper there to help him, I'm sure Mara will be fine. Now quit trying to come up with ways to get out of R&R and hold still so I can take this." Bruce ordered as he clicked the button on the machine to take the picture. A few minutes later they were both looking at the X-ray as it hung in front of a light. "Yep, multiple breaks. Looks like you're going to need a nose brace." The doctor said with a smirk. "C'mon, let's go get you patched up." Clint sighed and followed Bruce from the room. As they walked down the hall they passed the recovery room. Clint glanced inside and briefly saw Natasha sleeping soundly with various tubes and IVs sticking out of her body. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her steady heart rate on the monitor next to her bed. Clint grinned, knowing that Natasha was out of the woods. She was going to be okay, and that was all that mattered to him.

**PLEASE READ THIS!**** When I first started writing this, I never intended on killing ANYONE except the bad guy. I can't stand it when the main character in a story dies, unless the story was written specifically for that purpose. Now, I don't want anyone reviewing this saying how it's completely impossible for her to survive being stabbed like that, because you're right. A normal person wouldn't be able to survive this, but none of them are normal people. I've had a lot of people tell me how unrealistic this story is, and I tell every single one of them that this is a story about super heroes meaning none of it is going to be realistic. It's fiction. Also, I understand that some people are going to be upset that she isn't dead, which is strange, but true. I've seen reviews of stories where people thought it would be better if the character had remained dead, but I really didn't want to do that. I like the drama and reaction you get when you think someone is dead, so that's why I did this. I actually recently read a fanfiction where the main character appeared to be dead, but they weren't, and it actually worked out perfectly. I'm not sure if the same will happen in this story, or if people will be totally pissed about it, but that's their business. Oh, and for the people who are going to say that I lied about the character death in the chapter 12 author's note (I know someone is gonna say something!), I DIDN'T LIE! Varkov died and he was a character, therefore there was character death. Natasha, however, did not die, so it looks like I pulled a fast one on you guys! Sorry bout that if you're upset. Anyways, this has gotten a little long so I'm gonna leave you with a little preview of the final chapter. I don't have a name for it yet so you're just gonna have ta take what I give you.**

**Chapter 15: The Avengers recover from the events that took place in Paris. **

**Yea, that's all I got. Chapter 15 has the potential to be really long, so sorry if it takes a while. I want to end it well! Thanks to all of you who read this chapter after the main character death scare last chapter! I was worried I'd turn a lot of people off. You guys are the greates fans EVER and I hope you tune in next time for the final chapter of Taken! Peace out! PS: I hope I don't sound snarky. The last thing I want is for people to think I'm mean, but I really just want you guys to understand where I'm coming from, ya know? Until next time… TTFN!**


	15. Recovery

**Wow. I honestly can't believe that this is the final chapter! This story has been all I've thought about since October, and now it's finally coming to a close! You guys have been so great and so supportive and I just want to let you all know how much I appreciate that! I would have never continued if it hadn't been for my dedicated readers! Now, before you go and get too sad, I just wanted to make sure you know that there will be an epilogue after this chapter that should be up soon after this one is posted. It won't be terribly long, and I'm hoping that maybe it will allow me to build off the storyline in a sequel maybe… So yea, if you're totally depressed about this being the last chapter, don't start crying yet! You still have an epilogue to look forward to! Anyways, this chapter is full of happy fluffy stuff that I'm sure a lot of you are gonna like! I got a lot of requests for Clint to interact with Mara more since he was a little too run down to do so last chapter. You ask, I deliver! Now, without further ado, I give you the final chapter of Taken! Enjoy!**

**P.S. Sorry it took so long for me to post this. I had a last minute paper for school, and Christmas stuff I needed to take care of. I know I said it'd be up sooner than this but I can only do so many things in a certain amount of time. You guys understand, right?**

**Chapter 15-Recovery**

**Natasha**

Natasha was awakened by an annoying beeping sound. She tried to open her eyes but they were too heavy. She inhaled deeply, taking in the smell of bleach and cheap fabric softener. The beeping fluctuated slightly when she exhaled, signifying that she was hooked up to a heart monitor. Finally, Natasha forced her eyes open. She glanced around the room, observing the white walls, white tiled floor, and white bed sheets.

_"Ugh,"_ she thought to herself,_ "hospital."_ She slowly began to sit up but was stopped by a searing pain in her stomach. Natasha hissed painfully as a hand reached out and gently pushed her back down.

"Slow down there Spidey." Steve said tenderly, calling her by the nickname he'd given her before they'd lost touch all those years ago.

"Steve?" Natasha said hoarsely as she tried to find where his voice was coming from. She glanced to her left to find the captain sitting in a plastic chair next to her bed with a concerned, but smiling face.

"Welcome back." He teased, placing the sketch pad he'd been holding on the bedside table.

"What happened?" Natasha asked weakly, trying to remember exactly why she was in a hospital. "Where are we?"

"We're back at the tower in Tony's infirmary." Steve replied, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes. "You gave us quite a scare." She gave him a questioning look, her memories of the past twenty-four hours nothing but a blur in her mind. "You don't remember." The captain stated. Natasha shook her head. He sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Well, you see, you were sort of, um… stabbed. Like, at least six times." Steve said gesturing to her stomach. She squinted as she tried to remember when suddenly it was like someone adjusted the focus in her mind and all her memories of last night came flooding back in perfect clarity.

"Oh." Natasha said, gently laying her hand over her injured abdomen.

"Yea, oh." Steve laughed. "You have no idea how lucky you are. Bruce swore up and down that you wouldn't make it, but yet here you lie." She smiled before realizing that Clint had been in pretty rough shape as well before she'd lost consciousness back in the Catacombs.

"Where's Clint? Is he alright?" Natasha asked nervously, her heart rate spiking slightly.

"Yea, yea, he's fine." Steve soothed her as he anxiously glanced at the heart monitor when the beeping began to speed up. "Bruce said that his nose was pretty messed up from when he got punched, and that he was suffering from an extreme case of TFE, but that was it." Natasha gave the captain a worried, questioning look.

"What's TFE?" She asked.

"Total Fucking Exhaustion." Steve told her. They both laughed. "The poor guy could hardly keep his eyes open, although he absolutely refused to get any rest until you woke up." He shook his head and laughed. "I'm pretty sure Bruce ended up doping him so he wouldn't completely crash. I'd guess he's still sleeping." Natasha nodded and closed her eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply.

"What about Mara?" She asked as calmly as she could. Steve had yet to mention anything about her infant daughter. Her worries, however, melted away immediately when she saw the grin that appeared on the captain's face.

"Safe and sound." He said comfortingly. "Tony, Pepper, and Thor have been taking care of her while you and Clint recover."

"Can I see her?" Natasha pleaded, wanting nothing more than to hold Mara in her arms and know that she was safe.

"I'll see what I can do." Steve replied with a wink before exiting the room. A few minutes later Bruce walked in holding a clipboard.

"Steve said you were awake." He stated, giving her a warm smile. "How do you feel?"

"Fine, except for my stomach." She told him.

"I'll get you some more pain meds." The doctor said as he began checking the various machines she was hooked up to. Bruce then pulled out his clipboard and sat down next to her. "Have you been feeling dizzy or nauseous?" He asked.

"No, just tired." Natasha said sleepily.

"Yea, that's a side-effect of the medication I've got you on." He set his clipboard down on top of Steve's sketch pad and pulled back her bed sheets. "Let me just take a quick look at your stitches." Natasha lifted up her shirt to reveal the large strip of white gauze across her abdomen. Bruce gently peeled back the bandage and carefully checked the ugly stitches that littered her stomach. "You're not going to like this," he said as he put the bandage back in place, "but in order to prevent these from popping you're going to have to stay in bed for the next few days." Natasha closed her eyes and groaned as she pulled her shirt back down. "I know, I know. Just look at it this way: If you don't do it you could die, and I think you've come close enough to that in the past twenty-four hours."

"Don't be so dramatic." She said, rolling her eyes.

"Seriously, Natasha. You are living, breathing proof that miracles do happen, but let's not try our luck, okay?" Bruce warned. She sighed and nodded as the doctor began to leave. "I'll go get your medication." He walked out and down the hall, but soon returned with a syringe of clear liquid. He injected it into her IV bag and grabbed his clipboard. "That will probably knock you out in the next thirty minutes." The doctor told her. Just then there was a knock at the door and Steve peeked his head inside. "C'mon in. You can't stay long, though. She needs to rest." Bruce said as the captain opened the door further to allow Tony, Thor, Pepper, and Mara to enter before him.

"Sure thing." He said as he let the doctor out and closed the door behind him.

"Hey Romanoff, how ya doing?" Tony asked, sitting down in the chair Steve had been using earlier.

"I'm good." She said with a smile, glancing around the room at her happy, but obviously concerned friends. Her gaze finally settled on the infant that was resting in Pepper's arms.

"Mama!" Mara cried when she saw Natasha, holding out her arms as an attempt to reach her. Pepper smiled and carried her over to the right side of Natasha's bed, gently placing the baby girl next to her mother on the bed. Without hesitation, Natasha wrapped both her arms around Mara, holding her close. A tear escaped her eye as the two-year-old snuggled up to her mother.

"My sweet girl." Natasha whispered before planting a kiss on her daughter's head. She looked up at her teammates who all had huge smiles on their faces as they witnessed the long-awaited reunion. "Thank you." She whispered.

"Any time." Steve said genuinely.

"We'll always have your back." Tony chimed in. Natasha smiled, knowing her friend's words were true. After that, everyone began telling her how relieved they were that she was okay and that they hoped she recovered soon. Finally, Bruce came in and began kicking everyone out, saying that Natasha needed to rest now. Tony, Thor, and Steve all filed out of the room, leaving her and Pepper alone to talk for a minute.

"I'll let Clint know you woke up." Pepper told her as she lifted Mara from her mother's arms. "I'm sure he'd like to come see you."

"Okay." Natasha said, stifling a yawn. It seemed as though the drowsiness of the pain meds was starting to kick in. As Pepper turned to leave, Mara looked over her shoulder and waved.

"Byebye Mama." She exclaimed.

"Bye cutie." Natasha smiled as she waved back. The infant beamed before resting her head on Pepper's shoulder as she carried her from the room. Bruce followed them out, turning to look at her before closing the door.

"Rest." He said sternly, pointing his finger at her.

"I'm on it." Natasha replied, leaning back and closing her eyes. She heard the door close and was finally left to drift into unconsciousness and get some much-needed sleep.

**Clint**

When he opened his eyes, Clint realized he was back in his room at Stark Tower. At first he believed that everything had been a dream, but the constant pain in his nose told him otherwise. He stretched and climbed out of bed, walking out into the living area on his and Natasha's floor. Pepper was there with Mara, feeding her Cheerios. She turned when she heard Clint walk in and smiled at him.

"Good morning." She said kindly, glancing at her watch. "Or should I say afternoon."

"Hey." He said, looking warily at his daughter. He hadn't really had time to get to know Mara earlier, and now that he did he wasn't sure what to do.

"Oh, by the way," Pepper said, catching his attention. "Natasha woke up a while ago. Steve said she was asking about you."

"How is she?" He asked softly.

"I didn't really get to stay and chat, but she seemed to be just fine." Clint nodded and continued to stand there awkwardly. "You should go see her." Pepper finally told him when she realized he was still standing there.

"Uh, yea. I think I'll do that." He replied as he moved towards the elevator. Clint was glad Pepper had suggested going to see Natasha instead of going over to see Mara. It wasn't like he didn't want to see her, it was that he wasn't sure what to do when he did. Clint had never really interacted with kids much, so he was basically going into all this father stuff blind. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair as he rode the elevator down to the infirmary, silently hoping that Natasha would still be sleeping when he got there.

The situation Clint was in with Mara was similar to the one he was in with Natasha. He wanted to see her more than anything; to know that she was okay. But what was he going to say to her? On the plane, when he was almost positive she wouldn't make it, he practically poured his heart out to her. He told her the one thing he had always wanted her to hear, even though she didn't really hear it. Now that she could hear it, though, Clint wasn't sure he would be able to say it again. What if she didn't feel the same? What if the reason she left him before was because she was sure she'd never have real feelings for him? He couldn't stand the idea of losing her again. Not after last time, and especially not after last night's close call.

Clint had been so lost in thought that he jumped when the elevator dinged. He stepped out and into the waiting area where Bruce was sitting writing things on a clipboard. The doctor glanced up when he heard the sound of the elevator and did a double take when he saw Clint standing there.

"How the hell are you even awake right now?" He asked in amazement as he set his clipboard down on the chair next to him. "The sedative I gave you was strong enough to take out a bear for at least two days."

"I just want to see her." Clint said tiredly as he moved towards the door that led back into the infirmary. Bruce sighed before following him back to Natasha's room.

"She's sleeping right now. I just gave her another dose of pain medication so she should be out for another couple of hours." He told him before quietly opening the door and letting him enter. "I'll let you go in, but only for a little while. In return you have to promise me you'll go right back upstairs and get some more rest."

"Yea, sure." Clint lied as he quietly walked in to Natasha's room to find her sleeping soundly in her hospital bed.

"Twenty minutes." Bruce told him before shutting the door. The archer ignored him and sat down in the chair next to her bed. He took in her peaceful state before reaching out and gently stroking her face. She had regained a lot of color in her cheeks and her breathing was deep and even. For the first time since she came to him for help a few days ago, Natasha looked completely relaxed.

For the next fifteen minutes, Clint sat with her in silence. He didn't want his voice to ruin the peaceful environment, but as his time with her grew short he felt as though he should at least say _something_.

"I'm so sorry, Natasha." He whispered. "I'm sorry this happened to you and that I couldn't stop it. But more importantly I'm sorry I'm too big of a coward for not being able to tell you how I feel." Just then, Bruce entered the room quietly and nodded to the clock that was hanging on the wall.

"Time's up." He told him.

"Okay." Clint rose from his seat and, with one final glance at the recovering assassin, he left the room.

"Now, go upstairs and go back to bed." Bruce ordered as he closed the door to Natasha's room.

"Alright, alright, I'm going." Clint rolled his eyes as the doctor began nudging him towards the elevator. He stepped inside and clicked the button for his floor, riding the elevator up until he heard the familiar ding signifying that he had reached his destination. When he got back upstairs Pepper was still in the living area with Mara. She looked up from their game of patty-cake and smiled.

"Did you see her?" The pregnant woman asked as Clint came over and sat on the couch across from them.

"Yea, but she was sleeping." He told her with a sigh.

"Well, Bruce has got her all drugged up so until he switches her to a weaker medication then she'll probably be sleeping a lot." Pepper noted before continuing to play with Mara. Clint observed their game for a while, noticing the smile that appeared on his face whenever the two-year-old let loose a giggle. Pepper glanced over at him after a while, noticing his interest.

"You haven't spent much time with her have you?" She asked, pulling Clint's concentration away from Mara. He shook his head.

"Not really. My mind was sort of focused on Natasha last night so I didn't really get to know her." He told her.

"Have you even held her yet?" Pepper pressed. He wanted to nod, but then he realized that he actually _hadn't_ held her yet. "You haven't." She stated, not waiting for him to answer. Clint lowered his head shamefully as she stood up and walked over to him. When he looked up again Pepper was standing next to him. She gently handed Mara over to Clint, who immediately began to panic as he tried to figure out the right way to hold her. "Just relax." Pepper told him, noticing how tense he was. He tried to do as she told him, but Mara began to cry when she decided she didn't like how her father was holding her, which only made Clint even tenser.

"Pepper…" He said in a panicky voice as he frantically tried to soothe the infant.

"I'm not helping you." She said, crossing her arms and resting them on her swollen stomach.

"What!? C'mon, I have no idea what I'm doing!" Clint exclaimed as he tried to keep Mara from squirming out of his arms.

"You're her father, Clint. It will all come naturally. Just give yourself a minute." Pepper encouraged. Just then, her phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out to check the number.

"Oh! I _really_ need to take this." She said as she began hurrying from the room. "You've got her, right?"

"No!" Clint called after her. "Pepper, please! This is _so_ not cool!" But she was already gone. "Oh, great." He mumbled as he looked at the screaming infant cluelessly. Finally, he lifted her up so that she was sitting upright in his lap and began gently bouncing her. Mara slowly stopped crying as he shushed her soothingly. "Please stop crying, please stop crying." Clint begged. The two-year-old stopped whimpering and gave him the same scrutinizing look she had given him in the elevator the day before. He smiled, one, because he had actually gotten her to stop crying, and two, because she just looked so damn much like Natasha when she did that. This time, though, Mara didn't smile back. Instead she just gave him a blank, empty look, almost like she wasn't sure what to do either. Clint lifted her up more so that now she was now at eye-level with him.

"You're something." He whispered, looking her over. Mara responded by reaching out and touching his lips, pulling them apart. She giggled and proceeded to move her hands over to his cheeks and squeeze them together so that he had a duck face. The infant squealed in amusement and he laughed along with her. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled herself towards him. Mara rested her head on his shoulder, sighing in content. Clint held her close, and it was like something inside him clicked. The feeling he got when he realized that he was holding _his_ daughter was overwhelming. A tear came to his eye as he leaned back, rubbing slow circles on the two-year-old's back.

In less than ten minutes, Mara had fallen asleep in Clint's arms. He smiled and closed his eyes. The exhaustion he was experiencing was relentless as it slowly began forcing him into unconsciousness.

_"Maybe I _can_ do this."_ Was the last thought he had before drifting to sleep with his and Natasha's daughter dreaming peacefully in his arms.

**Natasha**

A few days later…

"Bruce, _please_!" Natasha begged as the doctor removed the IV needle from her wrist. "I can't stand being down here! Why can't I move upstairs to my room?"

"Because, you need just a few more days of bed rest before you even think about walking around." Bruce told her.

"I can get plenty of bed rest in _my own_ bed." She shot back.

"Look, I'll think about it." He finally said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"That's all I ask." Natasha said cooperatively. Just then, Pepper walked in with Mara for their daily visit.

"Oh, am I interrupting?" The pregnant woman asked, prepared to walk out if she needed to.

"No, Natasha's just being whiny." Bruce told her as he walked out. Pepper gave Natasha a questioning look as the assassin rolled her eyes.

"He won't let me move upstairs." She explained.

"Well, I'm sure there's a good reason for that." Pepper said as she sat Mara on the bed with her mother and pulled up a chair. Natasha pulled her daughter into her lap and held her close.

"How's she been?" She asked as Mara snuggled up to her.

"Good as gold." Pepper replied with a smile. "She had a good, long nap this morning with Clint. I swear to God, it's the cutest thing I've ever seen. They cuddle up together and five minutes later they're out like a light. I'm pretty sure they've been doing that every morning this week."

"So, they're getting along well then?" Natasha asked.

"Well, Clint was a little uneasy at first, but he's gotten a lot more comfortable. I think that he'll be a wonderful father to her." The pregnant woman said happily.

"Great." The assassin sighed and looked down at her daughter who was yawning tiredly.

"What's wrong?" Pepper asked, noticing her friend's sudden change in mood.

"You wouldn't happen to know why Clint hasn't come to see me yet, would you?" Natasha asked hopefully. Pepper looked at her in confusion.

"What are you talking about? He's come down almost every day this week." Just then, Bruce walked in with two pills and a cup of water in his hands. "Bruce, hasn't Clint come to see Natasha practically every day?" Pepper asked him as he handed the medication to the assassin.

"Uh, yea. She's been asleep every time he's come though." The doctor told her.

"Hmm, what a coincidence." Natasha said sarcastically before swallowing both pills.

"What do you mean?" Pepper asked.

"He's trying to avoid talking to me." She told her with a sigh. "He probably thinks that it's his fault I got hurt and feels guilty or something."

"Or, maybe he's just had bad timing." Pepper said optimistically.

"For five days straight?" Natasha exclaimed.

"I'm just saying it's possible." The pregnant woman said quietly.

"I need to see him." The assassin said anxiously. "He needs to know it isn't his fault."

"I'm sure he doesn't think that." Pepper said soothingly.

"Then why won't he come talk to me?"

"I don't know." She finally gave up. Natasha looked at Bruce who was still standing there awkwardly.

"Can I please move upstairs?" She asked politely. The doctor sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"Fine. But you have to promise me you won't leave your bed." He said sternly.

"Cross my heart." She told him happily. "Can I go now?" Bruce shrugged.

"I don't see why not. You're probably just going to pester me until I do let you go." He told her. "Let me get you a wheelchair."

"Is that really necessary?" Natasha asked.

"Hey, I'm being nice enough letting you move upstairs, the least you could do is cooperate with me." Bruce called over his shoulder as he left the room. He soon returned with a metallic and leather wheelchair and pulled it up next to Natasha's bed. Pepper took Mara from her arms as the doctor began helping her into the chair. As soon as she was seated Bruce began pushing her out of the room with Pepper in tow. He rolled her onto the elevator and pressed the button for hers and Clint's floor. They rode up in uninterrupted silence until they reached their destined floor. Bruce wheeled her out into the living area where they were greeted enthusiastically by Tony, Steve, and Thor.

"What are you doing up here?" Steve asked, walking over to her.

"I got tired of the infirmary." Natasha told him. "Finally convinced Bruce to let me move to my room."

"Yep." Bruce said from behind her. "That means that _we_ are going to have to make sure she doesn't get out of bed. The last thing that needs to happen is for her to pop her stitches."

"You got it doc." Tony called from the armchair he was sitting in.

"We've all been spending the night in here anyways to help with Mara, so when we get up to check on her we can also check on Natasha." Steve explained.

"Sounds good." Bruce said in agreement as he began turning Natasha down the hall.

"Wait," she exclaimed. "Where's Clint?"

"Sleeping. The pain meds he's on really knock him out." Tony told her.

"Well that's convenient." Natasha sighed, glancing at Pepper who simply shrugged.

"Alright, let's go." Bruce said, wheeling her down the hall towards her room.

"Hey, is that my favorite godchild?" She heard Tony exclaim from the living area before rolling into her room. Natasha had completely forgotten about her promising the billionaire that he could be Mara's godfather. No use in crushing his excitement now…

"You ready?" The doctor asked when he wheeled her up to the side of her bed.

"Yea." On the count of three, Bruce gently lifted her out of the chair and onto the bed before helping her lay down.

"Is there anything you need before I go?" He asked, edging towards the door.

"No, I'm fine." She told him. "But could you please tell Clint to come talk to me when he wakes up?"

"Absolutely." He said with a smile before walking out of the room and shutting the door. Finally left by herself, Natasha grabbed the remote to her enormous TV and flipped on How I Met Your Mother. She had heard that the season 8 midseason finale had been really good. She only got to see the first half, however, before she began getting tired. Was drowsiness a side-effect of all the pain medications Bruce was giving her? Nonetheless, Barney had only just gotten unjinxed when Natasha felt her eyes become too heavy to keep open and she soon drifted to sleep.

Natasha's eyes flew open instinctively at the sound of Mara's crying. She checked her alarm clock to see that it was 2:00am. Without thinking, she carefully began to push herself out of bed. The sharp pain in her stomach caused her to sit back down as she remembered what Bruce had told her. She wasn't allowed to leave her bed. Natasha knew the guys were sleeping right down the hall, so surely one of them would hear Mara crying. She waited for a few minutes, but the two-year-old's wails only grew louder. That was all Natasha could take. She shoved herself off the bed, ignoring the pain it caused her, and began carefully walking towards the door.

Every step she took caused a stinging pain to emanate from her stomach, but she kept going. She needed to soothe her daughter. It took a few minutes, but Natasha finally reached Mara's door. She was about to go in when the infant's sobs suddenly stopped. Confused, she silently opened the door and stepped inside, leaning against the wall for support. She glanced around the room before settling her gaze on the figure that was gently rocking Mara back and forth. Upon further observation Natasha realized that the figure belonged to none other than Clint.

She watched as the archer quietly soothed their daughter, noticing how comfortable he looked. After a while, Mara slowly began to fall back asleep. Clint pulled her off of his shoulder and carefully placed her back in her crib. However, when he did this he accidentally jostled her and she began to whimper again.

"Shhhhhh." Her father said soothingly as he gently stroked her cheek.

"Daddy?" Mara called out tiredly.

"It's okay," he whispered, "go to sleep." After a few more minutes, the infant drifted into unconsciousness.

"Well, look at you." Natasha said quietly, finally making herself known. Clint jumped and spun around to face her. "You're quite the natural."

"Natasha." He said breathlessly as she began walking towards him. "You're not supposed to be out of bed."

"You gonna rat me out?" She challenged. He slowly shook his head once she reached where he was standing.

"What are you doing in here?" Clint asked.

"I heard her crying. When she didn't stop after a few minutes I assumed that no one had come in, so I took matters into my own hands." Natasha answered. He nodded and leaned against the crib, looking down at their sleeping child. She did the same and for a while they both stood there in silence. "Hey," she whispered after a few minutes had passed with neither of them speaking. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot." Clint replied without looking up.

"Why didn't you come see me when I was in the infirmary?" She asked.

"I did." He answered.

"Okay, let me restate the question: Why didn't you come see me when I was _awake_?" Natasha pressed. She saw his body go tense while waiting for his response, but she never got one. He wouldn't even look at her. "Clint," she said comfortingly, "if it's because you feel guilty about what happened…"

"It's not." He said, cutting her off.

"Then what is it?" Natasha asked pleadingly. She waited a few moments but he didn't answer her. "Clint, please. You know you can tell me anything." Silence. She gave an irritate huff and turned to leave. "Fine. If you're just going to ignore me, then I'm going back to bed before I get in trouble." She said angrily as she began walking towards the door.

"Natasha." He called after her. She heard him come up behind her and slowly turned around to face him. Before Natasha could say anything, Clint had cupped her face in his hands and gently lifted her lips to his, kissing her deeply. She immediately kissed him back, snaking her arms around his neck and pulling herself closer to him. His hands left her cheeks and traveled down her back so he had a better grip on her. After a while, they finally broke away from each other to catch their breath.

"Clint…" Natasha began, but he cut her off.

"Wait," he said urgently, "before you say anything, you need to hear this." He took a deep breath and looked into her expectant eyes. "Natasha Romanoff, I am hopelessly, irreversibly in love you. I always have been. I'm sorry I never came to see you when you were awake, but that was because I was too big of a coward to tell you everything I'm telling you now." Tears began to spill out of her eyes as a smile broke across her face. Clint wiped them away with his thumbs and leaned in to rest his forehead against hers. "I love you, Natasha." He whispered.

"I love you too." She whispered back before leaning in to kiss him again. He held her close, supporting most of her weight as he deepened the kiss. Natasha stretched up to kiss him harder when an excruciating pain erupted from her stomach and caused her knees to buckle. She collapsed in Clint's arms and he quickly tried to help her stand back up.

"Are you alright?" He asked anxiously.

"Yea, I'm fine." She replied.

"You need to sit down." He carefully began helping her towards the loveseat that had been placed across from Mara's crib.

"I'm fine." Natasha protested as Clint set her down on one side of the loveseat before occupying the other side himself.

"Just rest for a minute." He ordered, reaching out to stroke her cheek. She sighed and scooted over, leaning against him. He pulled her close and allowed her to rest her head on his chest while he kissed the top of her head. Natasha closed her eyes and sighed contently. She smiled as she tried to imagine this moment being any more perfect, but she couldn't. Her daughter was safe and the man she loved was holding her in his arms. Natasha was genuinely happy, and that was something she wouldn't trade for the world.

**Pepper**

Pepper yawned as she walked down the hall to Mara's room. It was 7:00am, and the boys were still sleeping in the living area, so she figured she would go check on Mara and Natasha before they woke up. When Pepper reached the door, she opened it quietly and peeked inside. Mara was still asleep, and she was about to leave when she saw Clint and Natasha cuddled up together on the loveseat.

The pregnant woman smiled at the couple as they slept soundly. She grabbed a blanket off the back of a rocking chair and gently placed it over the sleeping assassins before turning to leave. Pepper walked into the hall and closed the door behind her so that their perfect little family could get some much needed rest.

**The End**

*****It's not really the end! There's still an epilogue!******* Well, there you have it! How did you guys like the last chapter? Was the ending everything you hoped for? If you did like it, then you're definitely going to want to check back for the epilogue! I've got a lot of ideas on how to build off of this story, since it got such positive feedback, but I'll explain some of those in my final author's note. Again, I'm supersized sorry that this chapter took so much longer to post. It was just so long, and I had to add an entire extra segment, and I had a paper to write for school, and I had Christmas shopping, etc… Yea, I've been really busy. So, yea, I apologize for that. Man, I really can't believe I'm done with the main portion of the story! I wasn't sure this day would come or if anyone would even take any interest in this, but you guys seemed to like it and I can't thank you enough for all your amazing supportiveness! Couldn't have done it without you all! Well, that's really all I have to say I guess. I'd love to reach 300 reviews, if it's not too much to ask. Oh, and don't forget to check back for the epilogue. I'm not making any promises, but it may be up Sunday night if I'm free that day. If I can't do it then, then it will most likely be up after Christmas, so if that's the case then Merry Christmas! Until next time, farewell!**


	16. Epilogue

**As promised, here's the epilogue. This should lead into a sequel I'm planning on writing. There won't be any real action in it, just lots of romance and family stuff that will involve the entire team. Before I get to that, though, I have a Christmas spinoff which I will explain later, so why don't you go ahead and read this and then we can get into the multiple stories I hope to write. Enjoy!**

**Epilogue:**

**Natasha**

One year later…

Natasha awoke suddenly and sat up in bed. It was still dark outside, no later than 5:00am if she had to guess. She sat there for a moment, trying to remember what it was that had woken her in the first place when a sudden nauseating feeling overcame her. Natasha jumped out of bed and ran straight for the bathroom.

She rushed to the toilet and proceeded to throw up everything she had had for dinner the night before. When she was sure nothing else would come out, Natasha stood up and flushed it all away. She went over to the sink and turned on the water before removing her wedding ring and splashing cold water on her face. This was the third day in a row she had gotten sick.

"I must have some sort of stomach bug." She mumbled, drying her hands and putting her ring back on. But something inside her told her that that wasn't it. She tried to think of what else could cause nausea, but nothing came to mind except…

Natasha's heart rate accelerated and her palms got sweaty as she went over to one of the bathroom's cabinets and retrieved one of the pregnancy tests she always had on hand. She sat down on the toilet, took the test, and waited. After fifteen minutes had passed Natasha checked the test, and sure enough there was that little pink cross. She was pregnant.

Unsure if she was excited or terrified of her discovery, Natasha grabbed the test and hurried out into hers and Clint's room. She figured she could at least tell her husband. However, when she reentered the large bedroom they shared in Stark Tower, Clint wasn't in bed like she had thought he'd be. Curiously, Natasha wandered into the hall and followed the faint sound of the living area's television. When she got there she saw Clint sleeping on the couch with Mara resting on his chest while a random program played on TV.

Natasha smiled and walked over to the couch, planting a kiss on her husband's and daughter's cheeks before settling into one of the armchairs. She took one final glance at her pregnancy test, then set it down on the end table next to her.

_"I can tell them when they wake up."_ She thought to herself. No use in waking them now. Natasha curled up in her chair and closed her eyes, resting her head against the arm. Thrilled, frightened, and nervous thoughts swirled through her head as she thought about raising another child. It had been hard enough raising the one she already had, and Mara was only three! _"But this time will be different."_ Natasha thought positively. _"I'll have Clint to help me."_ She smiled happily at this thought, and suddenly she wasn't as anxious anymore. With her newfound confidence she quickly began to drift to sleep, excited for what the morning's announcement may bring.

**Omigod. I'm done. I think I'm gonna cry! I never thought I'd actually finish a fanfiction! Woooohoooo! I've actually accomplished something! Anyways, thank you guys sooooo much for your awesome encouragement. I know I say this a lot, but I couldn't have done it without you! But wait! Just because Taken is finished doesn't mean the story is! Like I mentioned earlier I have a couple of stories planned to build off of this, starting with a Christmas sequel/prequel! So, why don't I give you some titles and summaries that I've managed to come up with:**

**First, the Christmas one (Don't laugh at the name!)**

**Assassin's First Christmas: It's been a couple of months since Clint and Natasha rescued their daughter from a twisted human experimenter, and they're finally ready to relax and spend the holidays as a family. There's just one problem. Natasha has never celebrated Christmas.**

**I know, crappy summary. I've never been too great at those. Anyways, I figure I should point out that this story takes place **_**after**_** chapter 15, but **_**before**_** the epilogue. Hence the sequel/prequel. So tell me what you think of that idea. After this story, which it shouldn't be terribly long, I have a sequel that takes place after the epilogue that will get in to Natasha's pregnancy as well as what's been going on with the team. No action in this one really, just family, romance, and a hint of drama:**

**Life Goes On: A year after Clint and Natasha reconciled due to unlikely circumstances, Natasha is pregnant with their second child! With help from her husband, as well as the other Avengers, she's confident that things will be easier this time around. However, things aren't always as they seem…**

**Oooooh! Mysterious, right? This story will pretty much take you through Natasha's second pregnancy, since I knew I couldn't just leave you hanging there after the epilogue! So, obviously this one will take place **_**after**_** the epilogue. I have one more story planned for this storyline (which doesn't mean I'll be done with it. This is all that I've thought of). The next one would be a prequel to the **_**entire**_** story, so tell me what you think of this one:**

**Alone: When Natasha finds out she is pregnant with Clint's child, she tries desperately to find him and patch their shattered relationship. But when she realizes he has already moved on, Natasha is forced to go through her pregnancy alone.**

**So, yea. This one will just show you how Natasha struggled through her first pregnancy all by herself. There will be hints of Blackhawk through flashbacks and other stuff like that, but this will all be Natasha-centric. And that's what I have planned for Taken so far! I may take it farther, but that's only if these other stories are a success, meaning it's up to you guys! After these are done, however, I hope to write a full on origin story (which will have nothing to do with Taken **_**at all**_**! It's not a prequel) that will show Clint and Natasha from the very, **_**very**_** beginning. I mean like Red Room, circus, that sort of beginning. All the way back to how they first came to be as skilled as they are now. Eventually, I hope it will lead up to the current movies that are being made right now, which means this will be an ongoing story. So, yea. That's all I have planned thus far. Tell me how you liked the epilogue and what you think of the upcoming stories! I heart reviews! And, if you **_**are**_** interested in any of my upcoming fics, please feel free to follow me as an author! Well, see ya'll next time! Oh, and Merry Christmas! Haha, this is what happens when I wake up at 5:00am on Christmas morning and my parents won't let us go downstairs til 7:00. Bleh, I'm tired. BYE!**


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